INTERSECTIONS - Case Western Reserve University...Chin Stephanie Monitoring Heart Rate and Galvanic...

Post-Graduate Planning and Experiential Education, SOURCE

[email protected]

INTERSECTIONSFALL SESSIONDEC. 7, 2018

Last Name First Name Project Title Page

Akinbote Akinola Developing Physiologically Relevant in vitro Models for Cardiac and Pulmonary Fibrosis 1

Akinbote Akinola

Investigation of Age-dependent Extracellular Matrix effects on inflammatory TGF-β1 induced myofibroblast

differentiation 2

Alfaro Patricia The Wagner Wheelchair Transfer System 2

Alger Jesse YMCA Nutrition Education Series. 3

Ali Ridaa Explore Correlation Between Body Balance and Sensory Systems using Mobile Health Technology 3

Alspaw Jacob Synchrony: A Synchronized Music-Streaming Service that Provides a Shared Listening Experience 4

An Akaisha

The anxiolytic effect of Cannabidiol (CBD) and its potential use as a treatment for Social Anxiety Disorder

(SAD) 4

Askew Tessa A Quantitative Analysis of Pudendal Nerve Regeneration via Immunofluorescent Intensity 5

Bagnoli Valentino Module Redesign: Rockwell Automation Project Management Co-Op 5

Barbur Iulia Quantifying Pressure When Diagnosing Pelvic Pain Disorders 6

Batty Angelina Hand Activity Monitor for Assessing Daily Hand Use 6

Bean Nicholas Motor Controller Device for the Modification of Ride On Cars for Children with Physical Disabilities 7

Becicka Wyatt Esophageal Protection Device for Atrial Catheter Ablation 8

Beck Adam Postr: Efficient Social Media Management 8

Bi Chenxin The effects of haltere mass on fly head orientation during flight 9

Bick Natalie Optical-based Prosthetic Hand Control 9

Bingle Sarah

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as the “Golden Standard” of treatment for Children who

Develop Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms: A Systematic Review 10

Black Sean Case Western Conserve: Microgrid Modeling and Feasibility 10

Bradford John Esophageal Protection Device for Atrial Catheter Ablation 8

Bradford John Fibroblast Derived Matrix as an In Vitro Model of Diabetic Cardiomyopathy 11

Braunegg Anneliese Learning to Group and Order Abstract Meaning Representation Semantics for Discourse Planning 11

Brenner Daniel Improved Joystick Control System for Caregivers and Patients in Motorized Wheelchairs 12

Browne Kim

How divided should the prefrontal cortex be? Function of the orbitomedial and medial prefrontal cortex with

respect to anxiety disorders 12

Budziszewski Emily Motor Controller Device for the Modification of Ride On Cars for Children with Physical Disabilities 7

Bukovinszky Alex Hand-Motion Actuation for Hexapod Robot 13

Burelbach Katherine

An alternative PEG tube system to improve patient care: Investigation of viability of a silicone collapsible

anchoring design to replace balloon anchors used in percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy feeding tubes 13


Burkhart Anna Neural Ninja 14

Cain Caleb iOS ePantry Application to Track Grocery List, Pantry Inventory, and Fetch Recipes 14

Carsey Jane Association Between Eating Disorder Inventory and Musculoskeletal Injuries in Collegiate Female Athletes 15

Carson Edward Novel Portable Electromyogram for Multipurpose Clinical Research Use 15

Chakravarthy Nikhil Case LFG: An all-purpose looking for group web application 16

Chandramouli Sacheth Improved Joystick Control System for Caregivers and Patients in Motorized Wheelchairs 12

Chari Sandhya Mixed-method analysis of engagement on a social media-based weight loss study 16

Chavan Monica

Consequences of Genetic Mutations in Thoc6: Characterizing Phenotypic Changes in a Mutant Mouse

Model 17

Chen Cindy

Comparing Handgrip Strength in Healthy African-American and Asian-American College Students to

Establish Normative Values 18

Chen Ruoyan Controllable RF Clock Signal Generator 18

Chervenak Catherine How does Region and Soil pH Affect Redback Salamander Populations? 19

Chia Yennmay Coded Familial Genomic Data Privacy Processor 19

Chin Stephanie Monitoring Heart Rate and Galvanic Skin Response to Assess Patient Stress in the Intensive Care Unit 20

Choi Doe Improved Resection and Retrieval of Flat Polyps for Early Detection and Prevention of Colon Cancers 20

Choo Nathaniel

Motorized Knee Orthosis with Phase of Gait Detection to Aid with Toe Clearance in Stroke Patients with

Leg Weakness 21

Chou Samuel Effects of Gemcitabine on EDB Fibronectin Expression in Pancreatic Cancer Cells 21

Chu Marian TLE3 May Repress EMT to Promote Luminal Breast Cancer Cell Properties 22

Coe Kevin RoadPrintz: Precision Robotic road painting systems 22

Colley Amber A Radio Frequency Tracking Device for In-Home Monitoring of Autistic Patients 23

Conover Kenneth Hidradenitis Suppurativa Underarm Drainage System 23

Crowley Noah Neural Ninja 14

Cuda Sean The Wagner Wheelchair Transfer System 2

Cummings Evan Optical-based Prosthetic Hand Control 9

Cummings Evan Use of a Neural Network for Respiratory Navigation to Enable Free-Breathing Abdominal MRF 24

Davis Adam Connecting Medical Devices in the ICU 24

Davis Stephanie Esophageal Protection Device for Atrial Catheter Ablation 8


DeFurio Gabriela Genetic Variation and Chronic Kidney Disease 25

Deng Sarah Daily Doctor 26

Dhingra Anshul A Radio Frequency Tracking Device for In-Home Monitoring of Autistic Patients 23

Dispirito Anthony The Wagner Wheelchair Transfer System 2

Domondon Martin Monitoring Heart Rate and Galvanic Skin Response to Assess Patient Stress in the Intensive Care Unit 20

Donnelly John Neural Ninja 14

Dosluoglu Deniz

Developing Verification Methods for an Integrated Optical Coherence Tomography Radio Frequency

Ablation Catheter 26

Dosluoglu Deniz Building a Precision Analog Matrix Tester 27

Douglass Michael Hand Activity Monitor for Assessing Daily Hand Use 6

Dowling Brendan Particle Ball 27

Dufek Logan YMCA Nutrition Education Series. 3

Easton Nicholas Variable star classification with crowd sourcing 28

Enerio Jeshrene Monitoring Heart Rate and Galvanic Skin Response to Assess Patient Stress in the Intensive Care Unit 20

Field Ethan Hardness-Depth Profiling Using Digital Image Processing and Machine Learning 28

FitzGerald Meaghan A Portable Thermoacoustic Stirling Calliope with Automated Playback 29

Foss Ariel Hand-Motion Actuation for Hexapod Robot 13

Fritzinger Johanna Matlab Software to Record and Stimulate in Aplysia californica 29

Fung Kevin Uncovering the Role of FMO3 in Obesity and M2 Macrophage Mediated Beiging of White Adipose Tissue 30

Gallishen Christina Daily Doctor 26

Gao Brian Building a Modular Framework for Exploring Agent Organization Problems in Reinforcement Learning 30

Garb Madeline Utilizing the Electronic Health Record to Standardize Pediatric Obesity Management Practices 31

Garvin Matthew Divergent environmental adaptation in acorn ants 31

Ghorishi Alex Novel Portable Electromyogram for Multipurpose Clinical Research Use 15

Gibson Owen iOS ePantry Application to Track Grocery List, Pantry Inventory, and Fetch Recipes 14

Gokhale Jay Connecting Medical Devices in the ICU 24

Gokhale Jay Welding Monitoring System 32


Green Justin Neural Ninja 14

Griesser Kevin An Event Management Solution for the Android Mobile Platform 32

Grigsby Daniel Postr: Efficient Social Media Management 8

Gu Ding Coursework Website 33

Guativa Paul Released Product Engineering Co-op at Keithley Instruments 33

Guo Chen User Interface for Spinal Cord Injury Patients 34

Gupta Nandita

Exploring the Link Between Media Representations of Women and Men’s Attitudes Towards Violence

Against Women 35

Gupta Rohun

Benefits of Synthetic Surfactant for Individuals Suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and

Respiratory Distress Syndrome 36

Hadiono Chris Connecting Medical Devices in the ICU 24

Hegde Pranav

Investigation of dietary iron on tumorigenesis with TUNEL Assay stained intestinal cells from ApcMin/+

mice 36

Helmstetter Owen Synchrony: A Synchronized Music-Streaming Service that Provides a Shared Listening Experience 4

Hemm Alex Synchrony: A Synchronized Music-Streaming Service that Provides a Shared Listening Experience 4

Hu Isabella

Life and health outcomes of justice-involved youth as a result of targeted racial discrimination and

criminalization 37

Hu Lucille Investigating the Mechanisms of Oligodendrocyte Damage in Hypoxia-Induced White Matter Injury 37

Hu Siyuan Optical-based Prosthetic Hand Control 9

Huan Yu Neural Network Dynamics Controlling Egestive Feeding Behavior in Aplysia californica 38

Huang Fanny Targeting Diabetic Retinopathy with Peptide Therapeutics 39

Huang William Mechanisms and Detection of Glioma Progression Revealed Using Multiscale Interrogation 39

Humphrey Dylan Holden Arboretum Remote Transmission Unit Design and System Integration 40

Jackson Elizabeth Selective, Reversible Inhibition of Small Diameter Axons Using Glucose 40

Jaikumar Prerana Hidradenitis Suppurativa Underarm Drainage System 23

Jasthi Divya Effect of labor status and intrauterine infection on density of immune cells at the maternal-fetal interface 41

Jeansonne Noel Hand Activity Monitor for Assessing Daily Hand Use 6

Jeansonne Noel

Design and Analysis of a 3D Printed Magnetic Breakaway Connector for Use in Implanted Stimulation

Devices 41

Jeong Chaewon The Association Between Diet Quality and Energy Status in Collegiate Female Athletes 42

Jhang Seri Effect of Polyhydroxy Fullerene Nanoparticles on 4T1 Cancer Cells 42


Jin Bowen Automation of Dog Toy Processing 43

Johnson Tasha Octopaminergic Analysis and Modulation of Wing and Haltere Behavior in Drosophila Melanogaster 43

Juana Barrera Quantifying Pressure When Diagnosing Pelvic Pain Disorders 6

Jung Ann

Transitioning to Adulthood: Evaluating Childhood and Adolescent Victimization as Predictors of Adult

Maladjustment 44

Karnawat Ayush Building a Modular Framework for Exploring Agent Organization Problems in Reinforcement Learning 30

Keen Tyler WWV Frequency Tracker 44

Kendall Lee Variations in the electronic structure during chemical exfoliation of LiCoO2 into CoO2 45

Kennedy Alison Novel Aramid Polymer Brushes for Water Desalination Membranes 45

Kew Andrew The Wagner Wheelchair Transfer System 2

Kim Jin Young Hidradenitis Suppurativa Underarm Drainage System 23

Kirby Andrew Digital I/O Control Panel with Demo Board 46

Koerwer Hayden Optical-based Prosthetic Hand Control 9

Kohrt Tyler Töst: A Smarter Breadboard 46

Koning Katherine Hand-Motion Actuation for Hexapod Robot 13

Koning Katherine Imaging Mechanical Properties of Embryonic Heart Development 47

Kreienberg Darby The Role of Mechanical Stimuli in Inflammation-Associated Malignancies 47

Lad Saloni

Ketamine rapidly increases mature dendritic spine density on excitatory cortical neurons in a mouse model

of Rett Syndrome. 48

Lao Yueying Motor Controller Device for the Modification of Ride On Cars for Children with Physical Disabilities 7

Lapetina Elyh Holden Arboretum Remote Transmission Unit Design and System Integration 40

Li Shangran Coded Familial Genomic Data Privacy Processor 19

Lindner Sydney Optical-based Prosthetic Hand Control 9

Linevsky Raquel YMCA Nutrition Education Series. 3

Lituchy David Töst: A Smarter Breadboard 46

Liu Fangze Learning to Group and Order Abstract Meaning Representation Semantics for Discourse Planning 11

Liu Hangxing Controllable RF Clock Signal Generator 18

Liu Xiguang Using Crowd-Sourcing to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Visual Biofeedback Speech Treatment 49


Lockamy Jason Socialization and Academic Achievement Attained Through Youth Sports 50

Loeff Rachel


Leg Weakness 21

Lu Andrea The Wagner Wheelchair Transfer System 2

Lu Chao-yi Improved Resection and Retrieval of Flat Polyps for Early Detection and Prevention of Colon Cancers 20

Lu Tommy Postr: Efficient Social Media Management 8

Ludewig Karyn Case Western Conserve: Microgrid Modeling and Feasibility 10

Macaskill Christina


Leg Weakness 21

MacAskill Christina

Multi-parametric MRI of Kidney Disease Progression in a Mouse Model of Autosomal Recessive Polycystic

Kidney Disease (ARPKD) 51

Magliato Samantha A Radio Frequency Tracking Device for In-Home Monitoring of Autistic Patients 23

Magliato Samantha On the Road to Sports Medicine: Meta Analyses Driven Device Specification 52

Main Caleb ARRL Newsfeed Decoder and Display 52

Makara Jodie Medical Marijuana: Is it Doing More Harm than Good? 53

Malhotra Charvi

Flow cytometry analysis of inflammatory cells isolated from the sciatic nerve and DRG after chronic

constriction injury in mice 53

Mally Kavan Drink Beyond the Possible using Django 54

March Benjamin ARRL Newsfeed Decoder and Display 52

Marina Yu Mosquito Inspired Insertion Strategy to Improve Microelectrode Implantation 75

Marques Dylan Mixing Technique with an Additive Allows for Optimal Refillable Bone Cement Drug Delivery System 54

McCormick Kaitlin Familial Adenomatous Polyposis: Genetic Background and Clinical Considerations 55

McWhorter Ariel

Evaluating the Effects of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles in the Growth, Biomass, and Chlorophyll Production of

Garden Cress (Lepidium sativum) 56

Medlang Savita iOS ePantry Application to Track Grocery List, Pantry Inventory, and Fetch Recipes 14

Meglio Alexandra Developing Antibiotic Wound Dressing through Templating with High Internal Phase Emulsions 56

Meier Allie Holden Arboretum Remote Transmission Unit Design and System Integration 40

Menart Mike Building a Modular Framework for Exploring Agent Organization Problems in Reinforcement Learning 30

Miller Eloise Portable Neonatal Hypothermia Therapy Device 57

Mistry Viral HIF1a-2a cerebral knockout effects on cognitive gains following environmental enrichment in mice 57

Mitra Trino Tangible Individual Feedback in a Large Musical Ensemble Setting 58


Miyazawa Kenji Esophageal Protection Device for Atrial Catheter Ablation 8

Molinich Emily


Leg Weakness 21

Molnar Elizabeth Effects of the Intestinal Microbiome on Postmenopausal Osteoporosis 58

Montgomery Turner Monitoring Heart Rate and Galvanic Skin Response to Assess Patient Stress in the Intensive Care Unit 20

Morand Jacob Motor Controller Device for the Modification of Ride On Cars for Children with Physical Disabilities 7

Morrison Sean RoadPrintz: Precision Robotic road painting systems 22

Muller Scott Quantifying Pressure When Diagnosing Pelvic Pain Disorders 6

Narayanan Deepika Tuberculosis Meta-Analysis: The Role of IFN-y 59

Nazikian Toshiki Drink Beyond the Possible using Django 54

Ng Isaac Case LFG: An all-purpose looking for group web application 16

Nguyen Tiffany-Thao Daily Doctor 26

Nielsen Jennifer Examining HIV Risk Behaviors in Johannesburg, South Africa 59

Nrupen Pakalapati Reducing Cortical Seizures with Low Frequency Stimulation in The Rodent Brain In-Vitro 60

Nykaza Zoe Monitoring Heart Rate and Galvanic Skin Response to Assess Patient Stress in the Intensive Care Unit 20

Ochoa de Eribe

Delgado Pablo Quantifying Pressure When Diagnosing Pelvic Pain Disorders 6

Onyeukwu Oluchi


Establish Normative Values 18

Orton Neil A Radio Frequency Tracking Device for In-Home Monitoring of Autistic Patients 23

Osorio Sebastian

Investigation of dietary iron on tumorigenesis with TUNEL Assay stained intestinal cells from ApcMin/+

mice 36

Owens Dominique Postr: Efficient Social Media Management 8

Pallas NicholasThe Influence of the Chemist in the Current Opioid Crisis: An Exploration of their Influence on the Causes, Recovery Measures and Prevention

60

Pan Yiming Coursework Website 33

Pancha Nikil Particle Ball 27

Panjwani Anjlee Role of TSP-1 in regulation of inflammation in adipose tissue 61

Paranjape Sanika

Characterize Cells Showing Conditioning Lesion Effect in Axon Regeneration Using TrkC, TH, NF200, and

Parvalbumin Markers 61

Parker Kyle Regulation of Cytokine Production by TLR2 Engagement on CD4+ T Cells in a Murine Model 62

Parrilla Nicholas Sensitivity of kiloton-scale directional detector to CNO-cycle solar neutrinos 62


Pataroque Kevin

Degradation of perfluoroalkyl compounds by interfacial reactions between a non-equilibrium plasma and

water 63

Patel Vishal Case LFG: An all-purpose looking for group web application 16

Pavlakovic Rachel Postr: Efficient Social Media Management 8

Pfaff Jordan W8EDU Lunar Antenna Control 63

Pietros Alex Thermal Capabilities for Miniaturized Multiple Motor Driver Board 64

Pino-Peralta Sebastian Improved Resection and Retrieval of Flat Polyps for Early Detection and Prevention of Colon Cancers 20

Powell Jessica Quantifying Pressure When Diagnosing Pelvic Pain Disorders 6

Qian Xiaocheng DoorViewer: An Apartment Reviewing Platform 64

Rabaglia Bridget Hand Activity Monitor for Assessing Daily Hand Use 6

Rand Joel Esophageal Protection Device for Atrial Catheter Ablation 8

Redinger Joseph Role of Olfaction and Vision in Predator Detection by Green Frog Tadpoles (Rana clamitans) 65

Reed Kaius Drink Beyond the Possible using Django 54

Robinson Benjamin ARRL Newsfeed Decoder and Display 52

Robinson Megan Particle Ball 27

Rodriguez Brenda User Interface for Spinal Cord Injury Patients 34

Rosenberg Joshua Portable Neonatal Hypothermia Therapy Device 57

Rosenberg Joshua W8EDU Lunar Antenna Control 63

Rowley Meagan YMCA Nutrition Education Series. 3

Rupp Brian W8EDU Lunar Antenna Control 63

Sanderson Helen Chemical Remediation of Organic Contaminants in Wastewater 65

Sang Garrett Improved Joystick Control System for Caregivers and Patients in Motorized Wheelchairs 12

Santulli Andrew Improved Joystick Control System for Caregivers and Patients in Motorized Wheelchairs 12

Schafer Elizabeth A Method of Recording and Distributing Rehearsal Audio with Conductor Feedback 66

Schmidt Heather An Event Management Solution for the Android Mobile Platform 32

Schmidt Michael Swim Prediction System: Smart New Swim Meet Predictions using Available Data 66

Schumacher Kalli An Event Management Solution for the Android Mobile Platform 32


Sears Ellen Mixed-methods secondary analysis of a social media-based weight loss intervention study. 67

Sengottuvel Sibi Building a Modular Framework for Exploring Agent Organization Problems in Reinforcement Learning 30

Shen Jeffrey User Interface for Spinal Cord Injury Patients 34

Shieu Kjay RoadPrintz: Precision Robotic road painting systems 22

Shrager Benjamin Case Western Conserve: Microgrid Modeling and Feasibility 10

Simmons Adrienne Assessing Personality Type from Gesture 67

Sinha Rohan Automation of Dog Toy Processing 43

Skora Samuel Portable Neonatal Hypothermia Therapy Device 57

Smetona Ann Witnessing Diplomacy Through an Internship at the U.S. Embassy in Bern, Switzerland 68

Smilg Ethan Töst: A Smarter Breadboard 46

Son Hee Seung Hidradenitis Suppurativa Underarm Drainage System 23

Sondhi Jasmine Improved Resection and Retrieval of Flat Polyps for Early Detection and Prevention of Colon Cancers 20

Spitalli Joseph Novel Portable Electromyogram for Multipurpose Clinical Research Use 15

Steel Adam The Extraction, Isolation, and Identification of Δ9-THC from Cannabis 68

Su Joyce The Impact of Active-Learning Videos on Student Understanding in Organic Chemistry 69

Suzuki Takayuki Motor Controller Device for the Modification of Ride On Cars for Children with Physical Disabilities 7

Swann Margo The Impact of Prenatal Substance Abuse on Infant Mortality 70

Talasila Nitya

Radiomic Characterization of Pathologic Tumor Regression and Disease Metastasis via Colorectal Cancer

MRIs 70

Tam Christopher Automation of Dog Toy Processing 43

Tao Wanyun Gene therapy of Alzheimer’s disease by rAAV or plasmid vectors expressing PrP-N1 71

Thal Josie Social Interactions in Rio Sao Francisco Piranhas at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo 71

Timbrell Ted Synchrony: A Synchronized Music-Streaming Service that Provides a Shared Listening Experience 4

Trehan Rajiv Improved Resection and Retrieval of Flat Polyps for Early Detection and Prevention of Colon Cancers 20

Trimbach Alexander A Portable Thermoacoustic Stirling Calliope with Automated Playback 29

Turnamian Margarid Trauma and Related Experiences in LGBTQ, Cisgender, and Heterosexual Individuals 72

Velasquez Dante Portable Neonatal Hypothermia Therapy Device 57


Wagner Bobby Synchrony: A Synchronized Music-Streaming Service that Provides a Shared Listening Experience 4

Wang Helen Extradomain-B Fibronectin as a Biomarker for Invasive Prostate Cancer 72

Wang Mingyuan High mobility 2D electron gas at InSe-GaSe heterostructures 73

Wang Siying DoorViewer: An Apartment Reviewing Platform 64

Wang Yixuan Novel Portable Electromyogram for Multipurpose Clinical Research Use 15

Wang Zhihan Portable Neonatal Hypothermia Therapy Device 57

Wilkinson Nicole Characterizing Induced Genomic Alterations and Inheritance Patterns in Flax 73

Wolf Marilena Extra and Intra-Ovarian Factors in the Development of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and Associated Risks 74

Wright Lawrence A Method of Recording and Distributing Rehearsal Audio with Conductor Feedback 66

Wu Jie Controllable RF Clock Signal Generator 18

Wu Tianyi Coded Familial Genomic Data Privacy Processor 19

Wylie John Flow Separation Control of an Overexpanded Rocket Nozzle Using Microjets 74

Xie Ryan Tangible Individual Feedback in a Large Musical Ensemble Setting 58

Yang Kevin


Leg Weakness 21

Yu Marina Novel Portable Electromyogram for Multipurpose Clinical Research Use 15

Yu Zihao Gene therapy for Usher syndrome type 1C in mice model 75

Zalles Jeremy A Method of Recording and Distributing Rehearsal Audio with Conductor Feedback 66

Zeng Sophia The Use of CY-PSMA-1 as a Probe to Target PSMA for Prostate Cancer Radiotherapy 76

Zhang Alfred (Jinyi)

Use of Electrochemical Techniques to Explore Mechanisms Causing Tissue Damage during Neural

Stimulation 76

Zhang Lifeng Pictures make statements more believable 77

Zhang Muzhen The Influence of Stigma and Body Insecurity on Self-esteem in Obese Children 77

Zheng Henry Particle Ball 27

Zhou Eric Dietary Supplement Use Among Undergraduate Nutrition Majors 78

Zyle Matthew A Portable Thermoacoustic Stirling Calliope with Automated Playback 29

Intersections: SOURCE Symposium and Poster Session 1

Developing Physiologically Relevant in vitro Models for Cardiac and Pulmonary fibrosis

Akinola Akinbote Department of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Macromolecular Engineering, Case

Western Reserve University

In the injury and disease setting, the native tissue is remodelled as a reparative attempt in the wound

healing process. Hallmarked by fibrosis and angiogenesis, post-injury remodeling results in reduced function and

often whole organ failure. As fibrosis is prevalent in most cardiac and pulmonary pathologies, such as myocardial

infarction and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, understanding the underlying fibrotic pathology is essential for the

development of therapeutics. However, present day approaches utilize 2D culture models, which have limited

physiological and clinical relevance. To meet this need, we propose the development of physiologically relevant in

vitro fibrotic models that mimic in vivo conditions using our macroscale devices. Co-culturing induced pluripotent

stem cell-derived endothelial cells (iPS-ECs) with stromal cells in fibrin hydrogels, we developed vascularized

tissues—identified by the formation of microvascular networks (MVNs)—to mimic either a cardiac or lung

microvascular environment. The formation of these MVNs was monitored using phase microscopy prior to

administering TGF and TNF to induce fibrosis. Samples were stained and imaged using confocal microscopy.

The morphology of these MVNs was characterized using custom-designed ImageJ macros. Our results indicate that:

1) iPS-ECs co-cultured with stromal cells result in the formation of perfusable MVNs; 2) narrowed morphology of

the MVNs occurs when co-cultured with stromal cells in comparison to monoculture of iPS-ECs; and suggest that:

3) fibrosis can be induced by using TGF and TNFα, 4) increased TNFα disrupts the integrity of these networks.

The development of these vascularized tissues can provide more physiologically relevant models for the

investigation of pathological fibrosis.

Project mentor: Kristina Haase, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Faculty mentor: Roger Kamm, Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology


Investigation of Age-dependent Extracellular Matrix effects on inflammatory TGF-β1 induced

myofibroblast differentiation

Akinola Akinbote, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Dr. Samuel Senyo

There is limited cardiac regenerative capacity with age in mammalian animal models. Experimental

myocardial infarction in adult mice and pigs results in a low regenerative response characterized by increased

fibrotic response (marked by activation of fibroblasts to scar producing myofibroblasts) and decreased

cardiomyocyte proliferation compared to neonatal mammals of the same species. Based on compositional and

mechanical properties in the aging heart, our team hypothesizes that extracellular matrix (ECM) factors and

mechanical properties of the microenvironment regulates the regenerative response including cardiomyocyte

proliferation and myofibroblast activation. To test the hypothesis, we are investigating the biochemical and

biomechanical roles of the native ECM in modulating the fibrotic response (marked by fibroblast activity) and

cardiomyocyte cell cycle activity. Fibrosis was modelled using Transforming Growth Factor Beta-1 (TGF-β1) to

activate the myofibroblast state. Primary rat ventricular cardiac cells (fibroblasts or cardiomyocytes) or mouse

explants were cultured in age-dependent lyophilized ECM sourced from (from fetal and adult) porcine ventricles.

Fibroblasts were treated with TGF-β1 for 24 hours prior to staining for α-smooth muscle actin and vimentin to

identify myofibroblasts. Our study confirmed that TGF-β1 induced fibroblast differentiation and demonstrated a

dose dependent activation of myofibroblasts. Early evidence suggests that fetal ECM treatment alters cell cycle

activity in cardiomyocytes and myofibroblast formation both in isolated cells and in explants. Present work is being

conducted to generate physiologically relevant mechanical cues using polyacrylamide gels of varying stiffness and

tuning stiffness in micro-tissue explants. Our polyacrylamide library of varying stiffness was characterized by gel

rheometry. Our current results indicate that Polyacrylamide hydrogels can be tuned to achieve similar

physiologically relevant stiffness values.

Project Mentor: Dr. Samuel Senyo, Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering.

Other contributors: Xinming Wang (PhD Candidate), Elizabeth Schubert(Undergraduate), Margaret Kilbane

(Hathaway Brown), John Bradford(Undergraduate), Samuel Senyo PhD

♦♦♦

The Wagner Wheelchair Transfer System

Patricia Alfaro, Sean Cuda, Anthony Dispirito, Andrew Kew, Andrea Lu Department of Biomedical

Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, 11100 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH, 44106 USA

Every year there are two million new wheelchair users who are forced to rethink the way they perform

daily activities. These activities can be as simple as getting into a car, getting out of bed, or taking a bath.

Transferring to and from a wheelchair is one of the greatest challenges associated with these tasks. Current transfer

devices are dependent on the presence of another person, which limits the possibility of an independent lifestyle.

Our wheelchair transfer device offers a portable and lightweight solution to minimize reliance on another person.

The device is based on an automatic scissor jack, which can raise and lower the user between ground level and 3.5

feet. A smooth plastic seat allows for easy maneuverability on and off the device, while handles provide extra

support for the user. Wheels have been added to help position the device, and rubber stoppers lock them in place

once weight is applied. The rubber stoppers help increase stability and ensure that the device does not move during

the transfer process. The device is able to be compressed into a flat box shape for easy storage and portability. This

next generation transfer device has great potential to grant wheelchair users more independence in their day-to-day

lives.

Project Mentors: Dr. Colin Drummond, Dr. Matthew Williams, Department of Biomedical Engineering

Project Sponsor: Greg Wagner, Benjamin Mroz

Project Consultants: Emma Baker, Jocelyn Cheung


YMCA Nutrition Education Series.

Jesse Alger, Department of Nutrition; Logan Dufek, Department of Nutrition; Raquel Linevsky, Department of

Nutrition; Meagan Rowley, Department of Nutrition

Cleveland has some of the highest rates of nutrition-related chronic diseases including type 2 diabetes,

hypertension, and heart disease in the older population. During a six week series of workshops at the Warrensville

YMCA we were able to provide education to help increase awareness about improved dietary intake that can lead to

fewer adverse health outcomes. The topics included the following: Nutrition Facts Label, Reducing Food Waste,

Healthy Home Cooking, Grocery Shopping, Fad Diets and Healthy Holidays. At each of these workshops data was

collected as a pre and post test to assess knowledge retention and teaching performance. The workshops were highly

interactive due to our efforts and the enthusiasm of our audience. Based on our data analysis of the pre and post tests

this is an effective model for educating the public on nutrition topics. In the future these teaching methods can be

used for similar projects.

Project Mentor: Professor Tamara Randall MS, RDN, Department of Nutrition

♦♦♦

Explore Correlation Between Body Balance and Sensory Systems Using Mobile Health Technology

Ridaa Ali, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science;

Jia Chen, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Jianian Zheng, Department of Electrical

Engineering and Computer Science; Diliang Chen, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science;

Quan Liu, Department of Electrical Engineering Computer Science; Haoyou Cheng, Department of Electrical

Engineering and Computer Science; Dr. Ming-Chun Huang, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer

Science

Body balance and perception have been shown to be linked in a number of studies, ranging from mice

plasma membrane calcium ATPase isoform PMCA2 deficiency causing both balance and hearing problems to MS

(multiple sclerosis) patients’ loss of foot sole sensitivity correlating with compromised balance. This project

involved developing an application that tests balance as well as hearing using Microsoft HoloLens and mobile health

technology. Four balance tests are included in the HoloLens application, three from BalanceMaster (Limits of

Stability, Rhythmic Weight Shift, Sit to Stand) and the fourth is a modified Single Leg Stand with 32 sensory

conditions. Hearing is tested within the same application; beeps are played sequentially at frequencies of 500 Hz,

1000 Hz, 2000 Hz, 4000 Hz, and 8000 Hz for each ear. The first volume level they are played at is less than 10 Hz

and this can be sequentially increases in increments of 10dB until the player can hear the beep; this volume level is

recorded; the maximum volume is 100dB. The application is meant to be used with Wearable Gait Lab, developed

in SAILAB@CWRU, which is an insole equipped with sensors for measuring balance parameters. The user wears

HoloLens (which displays test information and instructions) and the Wearable Gait Lab (which records balance

data); experimental data is analyzed for a correlation between perception and balance in young, healthy adults as a

proof of model.

This project is built on top of the Smart Living Lab (https://thedaily.case.edu/senior-care-meets-scientific-research/)

projects: Wearable Gait Lab and PainMarker App using HoloLens.

Project Mentor: Dr. Ming- Chun Huang, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science


Synchrony: A Synchronized Music-Streaming Service that Provides a Shared Listening Experience

Jacob Alspaw, Computer Science; Alex Hemm, Computer Science; Owen Helmstetter, Computer Science; Ted

Timbrell, Computer Science; Bobby Wagner, Computer Science

The music industry and the ways in which we listen to music are rapidly evolving. The development and

introduction of music-streaming services has given music listeners a new form of easy access to any and all types of

music. However, the current ways in which we listen to music are flawed. Standalone speakers often subject others

to forced listening conditions. They carry a stigma in public areas where peace and quiet are expected thereby

limiting their use. Headphones have reduced the need for standalone speakers but they create a barrier between

listeners and degrades the shared listening experience that standalone speakers promote. Improving upon the current

music-streaming services is just one way in which we can ensure a shared experience amongst listeners. Music-

streaming providers, like Spotify, have simply overlooked the needs for synchronously playing music amongst

multiple users.

The next evolution in how we listen to music is Synchrony, a synchronized streaming service provided by a

dedicated team aiming to enhance the music listening experience of users through shared playlist collaboration and

discovery. Synchrony acts as a wrapper to mainstream music providers, captures their streams, and then relays the

stream to Synchrony users. Our service allows users to collaboratively listen to music in groups (even when wearing

headphones), and enables control over the current song queue for each person in the group. Synchrony will allow

users to keep using their individual devices and streaming services while effortlessly and seamlessly sharing their

experience with friends.

Project Mentor: Dr. Soumya Ray, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

♦♦♦

The anxiolytic effect of Cannabidiol (CBD) and its potential use as a treatment for Social Anxiety Disorder

(SAD)

Akaisha An, Department of Psychological Sciences

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is one of the most prevalent anxiety disorders with very limited treatment or

management resources. In the United States, the lifetime prevalence rate of SAD is approximately estimated as 7%-

12%, and only half of those patients seek treatment. A large proportion of patients uses medication to mange SAD

symptoms, while current available medications usually cause serious side-effects such as addiction, sleeping

problems and nausea. Recent research has been focused on finding a medication for SAD with fewer side-effects.

Cannabidiol (CBD), a nonintoxicating component found in cannabis, was found to have anxiolytic effect in both

animal and human studies. This review summarizes existing knowledge of the anxiolytic effect of CBD and its

effectiveness for SAD, historical and legal background and research barriers related to cannabis. The majority of the

research are preclinical studies done on animals to find the neural basis of CBD’s anxiolytic effect. A significant

amount of studies shows that CBD influences 5-HT1A receptors in the brain region bed nucleus of the stria

terminalis to reduce anxiety in rats (Gomes et al, 2012). A few human studies have also found a significant

association of lowered anxiety symptoms in SAD patients after given one dose of CBD before public speaking

(Bergamaschi et al, 2011). The results from existing literatures suggest that CBD has anxiolytic effect on animals

but more research with larger sample sizes is required to determine whether CBD is safe, sufficient and effective for

patients with SADs. Future studies are suggested to experiment on the efficacy of CBD for SAD management, with

large sample size, and to look for possible side effect and drug interactions based on observations and self-report.

The anxiolytic effect of CBD would provide strong evidence support its therapeutic effect on SAD and a great

discovery for a better pharmacological treatment specific targeting SAD with less side-effects.

Project Mentor: Professor Anastasia Dimitropoulos, Department of Psychological Sciences


A Quantitative Analysis of Pudendal Nerve Regeneration via Immunofluorescent Intensity

Tessa Askew, Department of Biology; Dr. Margot Damaser, Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, BME;

Brian Balog, Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, BME

We focus on female pelvic floor dysfunction (FPFD), including stress urinary incontinence (SUI), which is

the unintentional loss of urine on exertion, coughing, or sneezing. SUI affects 30% of women over the age of 40 and

50% of women over the age of 50, and is most commonly associated with the injuries sustained during childbirth,

the external urethral sphincter (EUS) and the pudendal nerve (PN). Within a year most women will recover, but after

five years symptoms can re-present themselves indicating that the injuries do not healing properly or fully. In this

project we are attempting to develop a protocol for performing a quantitative analysis on the regeneration of the PN

after a simulated childbirth injury in a rat model of SUI. The rats received either a pudendal nerve crush (PNC) or

sham PNC; all sham PNC animals received saline treatment, while PNC animals receive either saline or tyrosine

kinase b (TrkB) for 3-week time periods. TrkB was administered to bind active brain derived neurotrophin factor, an

important neuroregeneration protein, which should delay regeneration. Three-week animals underwent functional

testing and tissue harvesting. The PN tissue was sectioned and immunofluorescently stained for neurofilament

proteins, an axon structural protein. Mouse anti-neurofilament 200 and 68 were secondarily labeled with donkey

anti-mouse AlexaFlour 488. Images were then analyzed using Image J software for fluorescent intensity. We

hypothesize that following an axonal injury, immunofluorescence intensity will be greater than after a sham injury

due to an upregulation in neurofilament, which is necessary for axonal regeneration, and that treatment with TrkB

will decrease intensity. Previously, a qualitative analysis was used to assess immunofluorescent intensity, but

should this project be successful we will have developed a quantitative assessment of nerve regeneration. This

method could then be used to evaluate PN regeneration in future rodent SUI treatment studies.

Project Mentor: Dr. Margot Damaser, Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, BME

Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Rebecca Benard, Department of Biology

♦♦♦

Module Redesign: Rockwell Automation Project Management Co-Op

Tino Bagnoli, Systems and Control Engineering

The work completed during my Co-Op with the Project Management Group at Rockwell Automation in

Mayfield Heights involved serving as the project manager to facilitate multiple hardware continuation projects

meeting schedule, cost and quality goals. Each of the projects was predominantly either a module redesign effort or

a firmware update project, either for the purposes of cost reduction or resolving an issue for a high profile customer.

Personal weekly work for each project included scheduling-related tasks and running regularly occurring status

meetings. Additional personal work included collaborating with various functional groups to respond to different

problems encountered during the course of the project, such as sourcing issues, in order to make decisions about

how to proceed in a manner that would meet evolving cost, technical and quality requirements. Finally, there was

some opportunity to consider relationships between each of the individual projects as they related to higher-level

organizational objectives and processes. Overall the work completed during my Co-Op was successful, as all of the

projects were able to reach key milestones and proceed in spite of the different problems encountered.

Project Mentors: Joseph Feigenbaum, Senior Project Leader, Rockwell Automation,

[email protected] & Anne Poorman, Project Management Team Lead, Rockwell

Automation, [email protected]

Faculty Sponsor: Gregory Lee, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science


Quantifying Pressure When Diagnosing Pelvic Pain Disorders

Jess Powell, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Scott Muller, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Juana

Barrera, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Iulia Barbur, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Pablo

Ochoa de Eribe Delgado, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Emma Baker, School of Nursing; Jocelyn

Cheung, School of Nursing; and Dr. Joseph Henderson, MD, Department of Reproductive Biology, Division of

Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, School of Medicine.

Pelvic floor disorders (PFD), such as incontinence and prolapse, are common in the population, especially

among women. Although there is a standard pelvic floor exam, assessing pain can be difficult. Currently, there is no

method for quantitative correlation between perceived pain and the pressure a physician applies to the pelvic floor

muscles during the exam. As a result, it can be difficult for a physician to consistently gauge a patient’s response,

which makes diagnosis less effective and determining the efficacy of treatment challenging. We propose a device

that will record and display the pressure that is applied in real time to facilitate quantitative pain correlation during a

pelvic exam. This device will be based around a pressure sensor that will sit on a physician’s index finger over a

standard nitrile glove. This sensor will be connected by a small wire to a watch-like device on the physician’s wrist

that will display the pressure that is sensed in real time. The watch-like device will house an arduino, which

functions as an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and a microcontroller, and a thin-film-transistor liquid-crystal

display (TFT LCD).

Project Mentors: Colin Drummond, Department of Biomedical Engineering; and Matthew Williams, Department of

Biomedical Engineering

♦♦♦

Hand Activity Monitor for Assessing Daily Hand Use

Angelina Batty, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Michael Douglass, Department of Biomedical

Engineering & Department of Physics; Noel Jeansonne, Department of Engineering; Bridget Rabaglia,

Department of Biomedical Engineering; Colin Drummond, Department of Biomedical Engineering; and Matthew

Williams, Department of Biomedical Engineering

In the United States alone, there are approximately half of a million individuals who use upper limb and

hand prosthetics on a daily basis, with that number expected to double by 2020. There exists a lack of data

regarding the characteristic movements and general length of time that a person’s hand is in motion throughout the

day. Current hand prosthetic devices generally have an arbitrary active battery life of 30 minutes in the laboratory.

So far, this arbitrarily assigned battery life is the accepted standard for daily use in the field of medical devices, with

no data to support this value. To achieve a future where prosthetics are optimized for continued use throughout the

day, or about 16-18 hours of use, engineers need a way to record all daily functions. The hand activity monitor

device aims to record the hand function of the average individual by capturing changes in position throughout the

day. The device has strain sensors across the back of the hand at major points of interest to measure finger positional

data during hand movement, including open/close of the hand. Gyroscopes allow for the analysis of angular

acceleration and movements of the wrist for daily tasks. A microcontroller will record data at the device’s wrist

junction, storing position data within an SD card for transfer to the user’s computer at the end of each day through a

microUSB port. The key tenets of our team’s physical design optimize comfort, durability, and ease of use in order

to maximize efficiency through the general wear and tear of daily life. In clinical practice, the device will allow for

clinicians to more accurately monitor able-bodied daily hand use with minimal interference, gathering vital data that

can be used to improve current prostheses.

Project Mentors: Dr. Colin Drummond, Dr. Matthew Williams, Department of Biomedical Engineering


Motor Controller Device for the Modification of Ride On Cars for Children with Physical Disabilities

Emily Budziszewski, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Takayuki Suzuki, Department of Biomedical

Engineering; Jacob Morand, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Nicholas Bean, Department of Biomedical

Engineering; Yueying Lao, Department of Biomedical Engineering

For children with spinal cord injury and other forms of disability, the use of electric toy cars is an efficient

method to enable them to gain greater spatial awareness. Toy cars can be used in both the clinic and the home to

improve the independent mobility of the children through examination and treatment of cause-effect learning, head

UE control and trunk LE control These cars also allow children to socially interact with other children and provide a

low cost alternative to other mobility devices. However, these cars do not accelerate steadily, which can cause

problems for the children with disabilities that use them. Most cars accelerate suddenly when a specific button is

pressed, and decelerate sharply when the button is released. This can cause children with spinal cord injury or weak

trunks to suffer injury. To solve the problem, RePlay for kids has worked to develop a circuit design that will allow

the car to gradually accelerate. Our team plans to improve the circuit currently in use in a way which will allow for

an even smoother acceleration while also providing care takers and physical therapists of the children with the

ability to control the maximum speed reached by the car and the rate at which they accelerate. A pulse width

modulator, microcontroller and H-bridge chip will be introduced to the existing circuit to allow for the smoother

acceleration, while two external switches in combination with a kill switch will be installed in order to allow for

control of acceleration and top speed and to allow caregivers to stop the cars immediately if need be. The secondary

goal of this project is to make installation as simple as possible to ensure that non-engineering volunteers will be

able to make the necessary modifications.

Project Mentors: Professor Colin Drummond, Department of Biomedical Engineering;

Professor Matthew Williams, Department of Biomedical Engineering


Esophageal Protection Device for Atrial Catheter Ablation

Wyatt Becicka, Department of Biomedical Engineering, John Bradford, Department of Biomedical Engineering,

Stephanie Davis, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Kenji Miyazawa, Department of Biomedical

Engineering, Joel Rand, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Dr. James Reynolds, Harrington Discovery

Institute, Colin Drummond, Department of Biomedical Engineering.

Atrial fibrillation is a common heart condition that can lead to major complications such as heart failure

and stroke. Approximately 2.7 million people live with atrial fibrillation. The most widely accepted procedure for

treatment is ablation of the unhealthy atria tissue. During these catheter atrial ablation procedures, a small proportion

(0.05%) of patients experience extreme complications such as fistulas or embolisms in the esophagus. While rare,

complications of this type have a high mortality rate of 71% [1]. The current standard to minimize these instances is

the use of a thermistor lodged onto the end of a catheter and that is placed in the esophagus. This, however, is not

the most effective way to prevent injury to the esophagus due to temperature latency and improper placement [2].

Therefore, the goal of this project is to create an improved esophagus protection device for atrial ablation

procedures. The device will work using three modalities: temperature sensing, pressure sensing, and mechanical

displacement of the esophagus. The first two modalities will be combined in a mathematical model of tissue

damage to provide feedback to the physician and eventually automatically shut off the ablation catheter. In this

project a model for studying heat transfer rates is created and verification of our feedback loop from the thermistor

to the heat source is shown. The utilization of a more advanced monitoring device will significantly reduce the risk

of esophageal injury. In addition, the device may actually improve patient outcomes by allowing for more thorough

ablations during a single session, particularly of atrial tissue in close juxtaposition with the esophagus.

N. Doll, M.A. Borger, A. Fabricius, S. Stephan, J. Gummert, F.W. Mohr, et al. “Esophageal perforation during left

atrial radiofrequency ablation: is the risk too high?”, J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg, 125 (2003), pp. 836-842.

Romero, Jorge et al. “Esophageal Injury During AF Ablation: Techniques for Prevention.” Arrhythmia &

Electrophysiology Review 7.1 (2018): 24–31. PMC. Web. 27 Sept. 2018.

Project Mentor: Colin Drummond, Department of Biomedical Engineering

♦♦♦

Postr: Efficient Social Media Management

Adam Beck, Department of Computer Science; Daniel Grigsby, Department of Computer Science; Tommy Lu,

Department of Computer Science; Rachel Pavlakovic, Department of Computer Science; Dominique Owens,

Department of Computer Science

Social media apps and websites are an integral part of the daily life of a content creator. Unfortunately,

there does not exist a free, open-source product to manage media posting and data analytics across all social media

platforms. Our desired product will allow individual content creators, as well as small businesses, meet these needs.

Postr is a tool that enables efficient management of one’s social media presence. It controls the posting of materials

across all social media based on various criteria, such as user interactions or public information updates. This tool is

targeted at budding media creators who need to scale up their marketing, but don’t have the resources to purchase an

enterprise solution or hire someone else to do it. Additionally, Postr is meant to automate and prevent duplication of

effort when performing the same or similar actions across one’s social media platforms. This includes making a

text/image post, updating a bio, responding to real-time triggers, and tracking performance of user profiles. Postr

also supports a social media scheduler, allowing users to schedule these events on custom dates, intervals, and

frequencies.

Project Mentor: Professor Soumya Ray, Department of Computer Science


The effects of haltere mass on fly head orientation during flight

Chenxin Bi, Case Western Reserve University Biology Department

The object was to explore how changes of inputs detected by the mechanosensory system are received by

the animal’s brain and therefore influences its behaviors. Since flies can detect both visual and mechanical

information during flight, this research can also examine how inputs from multiple sensory systems are integrated

and then lead to the animal’s behaviors. In this research, the relationship between the fly’s head movement and the

mass and force that the haltere was investigated. Halteres are a kind of special mechanosensory organ of flies, which

take place of flies’ hind wings. Inside of this dumbbell-shaped organ, there are a large number of mechanosensory

cells that are highly sensitive to strains during flight. According to the previous investigation conducted by Bender,

the fly’s wing counter-steering behaviors, which are used to control body turning, are triggered by inertial cues

generated from the haltere. By adding weight to the haltere end knob, the increased inertia triggers counter-steering

turns earlier than untreated controls. Therefore my hypothesis was that by adding weight to the endknob to one side

of haltere, the amplitude of head movements will be reduced due to the earlier trigger of similar counter-steering

behaviors. There were one control group of intact flies and two experimental groups of flies treated with glue and

iron filings, respectively. In each group, the fly’s head angles, haltere movements, and added mass were collected by

fast-motion cameras from both top views and side views. At the same time, a circular LED arena surrounded the

flying fly and provided visual stimulation. The result indicated that with increasing added mass on the haltere, the

amplitude of head movements also increased, which didn’t agree with the hypothesis. It could imply that fly head

movement behaviors are controlled through a different mechanism of influencing the fly’s wing behaviors.

Project Mentor: Dr. Jessica Fox, Biology Department; Michael Rauscher, Biology Department

♦♦♦

Optical-based Prosthetic Hand Control

Sydney Lindner, Evan Cummings, Siyuan Hu, Natalie Bick, Hayden Koerwer, Department of Biomedical

Engineering

To live a more comfortable, convenient life, people with amputations need reliable prosthetic hands with

higher degrees of freedom and more concise control. Many technical advances have been developed towards this

goal, including neural interfacing, EMG etc. These technologies made impressive contributions to the evolution of

prosthetic hands, but even these new advancements still present different challenges for the user. Further

advancement in the areas of these existing techniques could mitigate some of their disadvantages, but for now

another tool is needed to push the boundary of prosthetic hand capabilities forward. Thus, we are proposing a new

idea to solve the problem: integrating an optical imaging system. Ideally, a camera attached to the prosthetic hand

will be able to scan the nearby environment, and identify shapes of all objects which the user potentially wants to

capture. The prosthetic hand could adjust to the best gesture to grasp or hold the targeted object. This new strategy

may yield several advantages: action accuracy could be enhanced significantly since it is a smart, self-correcting,

auto-control system; because a computer is employed to help control prosthetic hand, no learning or adaptation is

required for user. This project is working to develop a functional control system from a camera located on the

prosthesis as well as EMG signals from the residual limb. This input data will be fed into a convolutional neural

network, allowing the computer to determine the size and shape of an object. From this information, the prosthesis

will determine the optimal method for grasping the object, and will be ready to grasp when the EMG is triggered.

Project Mentor: Matthew Williams, Department of Biomedical Engineering

Faculty Sponsor: Colin Drummond, Matthew Williams, Department of Biomedical Engineering


Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as the “Golden Standard” of treatment for Children who

Develop Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms: A Systematic Review

Sarah M. Bingle, Department of Psychological Sciences

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) has long been considered the “golden standard”

for treatment of PTSD in children, however it earned this title between 1980 and 1990 when research on child sexual

abuse was booming. Few other types of trauma were considered at that time, which compromises the

generalizability of TF-CBT to PTSD as a treatment for children with a variety of trauma experiences. A meta-

analysis of randomized control trials that compared Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and

other conventional treatments was unsuccessful due to a lack of sufficient research. A systematic review of the

literature resulted.

Project Mentor: Allison L. Baier, Department of Psychological Sciences

Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Amy Przeworski, Department of Psychological Sciences

Financial Support: AHSS Grant, Case Western Reserve University, SOURCE Office

♦♦♦

Case Western Conserve: Microgrid Modeling and Feasibility

Sean Black, Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, Karyn Ludewig, Department of Electrical

Engineering & Computer Science, Benjamin Shrager, Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science

In a world where clean, renewable energy solutions are essential to increasing power needs and very large

power grid infrastructure raises reliability and security concerns, microgrids provide a solution for a small area to be

removed from the whole power grid allowing it to function as its own entity. This project analyzes the feasibility of

creating a microgrid for the campus of Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) by investigating a solution that

handles CWRU’s power consumption needs for a reasonable cost while having the potential to operate

independently of the Cleveland power grid and make use of renewable energy sources. To begin with, we gain an

understanding of how power is distributed on CWRU’s campus. Next, data from every campus building are used in

analyzing load requirements, as gaining an understanding of how loads differ depending on the time of day, time of

the week, and by season is important in looking at microgrid possibilities. Also taken into consideration for the

microgrid recommendation are regulations and policies governing energy generation and consumption in the city of

Cleveland, the state of Ohio, and the United States as a whole.

Project Mentor: Professor Kenneth Loparo, Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science


Fibroblast Derived Matrix as an In Vitro Model of Diabetic Cardiomyopathy

John Bradford, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Omar Cardona, University of Central Florida, Marlee

Dingle, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Clarence Noronha, University of Akron, Stephan Nieuwoudt,

Department of Biomedical Engineering, Sam Senyo, Department of Biomedical Engineering

The role of the extracellular matrix on the progression of diabetic cardiomyopathy is not well characterized.

We devised a series of experiments to test the effect of high glucose on extracellular matrix synthesis and the

influence of the matrix on the insulin sensitivity of cardiomyocytes. These studies used primary cardiomyocytes,

primary fibroblasts (the matrix generating cells), and cell lines. Fibroblasts generated matrix with different glucose

treatments and were then removed from the matrix using chemical treatment (NH4OH). Cardiomyocytes were then

plated on top of the cell-free substrates in low glucose media. The experimental model required design of CNC

routed plate inserts to anchor the fibroblast-derived matrix. Preliminary evidence suggests cardiomyocytes that are

grown on a matrix produced in a high glucose environment show an increased resistance to insulin. The phenomena

were verified with phospho-AkT, an index of insulin sensitivity. In addition, high glucose impacts the activation of

fibroblasts to an injury state and alters the structure of the extracellular matrix.

Project Mentor: Professor Sam Senyo, Department of Biomedical Engineering

♦♦♦

Learning to Group and Order Abstract Meaning Representation Semantics for Discourse Planning

Anneliese Braunegg, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, CWRU; Fangze Liu,

Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, CWRU; Jonathan Pfeil, Google; and Soumya Ray,

Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, CWRU

A key task in discourse planning is learning to organize semantic components of a complex communicative

goal. We present an approach to this task when the semantics are expressed through the Abstract Meaning

Representation (AMR). Our approach uses machine learning methods to learn how to group complex

communicative goals into sentential units and how to order them appropriately. Given a new complex goal, we then

use local search to find a good grouping and ordering. We produce experimental results and evaluate them both

quantitatively and qualitatively. Most recently, we have implemented hyperparameter tuning, two new grouping

heuristics, a new set of ordering features based on previous literature, and conversion of AMR sentence graphs to

plain-text English.

Project Mentor: Professor Soumya Ray, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science


Improved Joystick Control System for Caregivers and Patients in Motorized Wheelchairs

Sacheth Chandramouli1, Andrew Santulli1, Daniel Brenner1, Garrett Sang1, Molly Chabowski2, Elaine Ahn2

1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University

2. Department of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University

Approximately 131.8 million people around the world require wheelchairs due to disability or debilitating

injury. Thirty percent of all wheelchair users use a motorized wheelchair. While extremely beneficial to individuals

with disabilities, the ownership of a wheelchair is not synonymous with regaining full control over performance of

day to day activities. Studies have shown that people in motorized wheelchairs are sometimes incapable of moving

themselves around due to several complications including weak motor control or impaired cognitive functions. To

alleviate some of these problems, these handicapped individuals often require the assistance from family members

or external caregivers. Due to its size/weight, motorized wheelchairs are largely incapable of being moved manually,

and the caregiver must use the built in joystick to move the wheelchair. This places both the caregiver and patient in

an awkward position and increases the likelihood of injury. To eliminate this problem, we intend to create a method

by which a caregiver need not be placed in harm’s way to mobilize the patient. By using a mechanical construct

composed of a system of motors and sensors, we are able to create a detachable joystick that can be integrated into

existing motorized wheelchairs. Our joystick easily fits in one hand so that it is minimally inconvenient for the

caregiver. The controls on it are also intuitive so that the learning curve of the caregiver is minimized. The

mechanical interface on the motorized wheelchair is designed to cause minimal discomfort to the patient. Several

error pathways have been analyzed to minimize the severity and occurrences of hazards. The overall aim of this

product is to provide patients and caregivers more freedom in their day to day activities.

Project Mentors: Sydney Song, Dr. Colin Drummond, Dr. Matthew Williams, Department of Biomedical

Engineering

♦♦♦

How divided should the prefrontal cortex be?

Function of the orbitomedial and medial prefrontal cortex with respect to anxiety disorders

Kim Browne, Department of Biology; Dr. Sondra Bland, Department of Psychology, University of Colorado

Denver; Dr. Richard Drushel, Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University

Regions of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) are commonly investigated in research pertaining to anxiety

disorders, with researchers often distinguishing which specific sub-division they conducted research on. Instead of

simply stating the PFC, researchers may say orbitomedial prefrontal cortex (OFC) or medial prefrontal cortex

(mPFC). However, this terminology can become confusing when researchers choose to specify the numerous sub-

divisions within the OFC and mPFC. Common examples of this include specifying the ventral orbital (VO) and

lateral orbital (LO) of the OFC and specifying the infralimbic (IL) and prelimbic (PL) regions of the mPFC. Are

there certain instances where researchers may be over-focusing their research by choosing to look at a very specific

region instead of the PFC as a whole? This literary review looks into the question of the importance of specificity of

brain region identification, focusing on the previously stated PFC regions in regards to anxiety disorders and

treatment methods to these disorders.

Project Mentor and Faculty Sponsor: Richard Drushel, Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University


Hand-Motion Actuation for Hexapod Robot

Katherine Koning, Department of Electrical Engineering; Alex Bukovinszky, Department of Electrical

Engineering; Ariel Foss, Department of Electrical Engineering; Nicole Graf, Department of Mechanical and

Aerospace Engineering; and Alexander Behr, Department of Computer Science

The current state of robot payload delivery can easily navigate aquatic or land-specific terrain, however

existing technologies have critical difficulty transitioning between the two. For the purpose of debris and fuselage

retrieval from surf zones, it is therefore critical to develop a remote robotic retrieval method that can navigate both

dry land, sand, and aquatic spaces. In order to develop a technology that addresses these needs, the crab style robot

offers an excellent biologically inspired solution. This robot is ideal for maneuvering in its terrain, however, its

control method needs to be improved because controlling legs with many degrees of freedom via tele-operation can

be cumbersome and non-intuitive for users. Therefore, we are developing a wearable glove control unit for intuitive

user control. The robot leg motions will be actuated through the use of sensors on the glove. These will measure the

degree of finger flexion, in order to determine the position of the user’s fingers, and thus mimic their motion in a

one-to-one motion paired manner. In addition to direct limb control, we are developing linear locomotion patterns

which allow the user to switch from individual limb control to a continuous walking pattern, when discrete obstacle

maneuvering is not required. In this way, our device tackles this issue of surf zone remote robotic navigation.

Project Mentor/ Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Kathryn Daltorio, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

♦♦♦

An alternative PEG tube system to improve patient care

Investigation of viability of a silicone collapsible anchoring design to replace balloon anchors used in percutaneous

endoscopic gastrostomy feeding tubes

Katherine Burelbach, Biomedical Engineering

Percutaneous Endoscopic Gastrostomy (PEG) feeding tubes are widely used as a route of feeding in

patients with impaired swallowing who require long-term nutritional support. Current feeding tube designs use an

inflatable balloon to anchor the tube in the stomach. However, the balloon device mechanically fails through

bursting and leakage of the balloon and requires regular volume monitoring. The current study investigates the

technical characteristics of an alternate PEG feeding tube design compared to the current state of the art balloon

device. The presented design features a silicone collapsible anchor to replace the need for a balloon.

Project Mentor: Dr. Colin Drummond, Biomedical Engineering


Neural Ninja

Noah Crowley, Computer Science and Cognitive Science; Anna Burkhart, Computer Science; Justin Green,

Computer Science; Jack Donnelly, Computer Science

Machine learning is a popular class of AI algorithm that learns from experience. One of the major learning

algorithms is the artificial neural network. The basic idea behind artificial neural networks is that many simple units

can connect together to perform much more complex tasks, like in a biological brain. While biological brains are

much more complicated than these analogs, ANNs have already found a great number of applications in every field

from automated stock trading to oncology. While the basic idea behind an ANN is fairly intuitive, the actual

implementation can be fairly complex, thus limiting their usage only to those who are familiar with computer

programming. This project is designed to change that. Our goal is to create an intuitive application that can create,

train, and modify neural networks through a visual interface. We will be writing an Electron app with a Python

backend for our project. The interface will be laid out into 4 main pages: a start page, a creation page, a network

page, and a weight matrix page. The start page will allow users to choose between opening an existing network or

creating a new one. The creation allows for the creation of a new network. The network page will allow users to add

and edit layers. The weight matrix page will provide a visual for the connection between two layers. The backend

supports the usage of fully connected layers and 1-D and 2-D convolutional layers. The backend will also allow the

user to choose between using logistic sigmoid and rectified linear unit as an activation function. It is our hope that

by creating tools to help people create ANNs without a background in programming, we will increase technological

literacy and improve the quality of conversation we have on these topics.

Project Mentor: Soumya Ray, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

♦♦♦

iOS ePantry Application to Track Grocery List, Pantry Inventory, and Fetch Recipes

Caleb Cain, Computer Science; Savita Medlang, Computer Science; Owen Gibson, Electrical Engineering

The ePantry application, is the virtual representation of everything a user has in their pantry at home. This

application provides quick access, whether at the grocery store, on the way there, or even at home before, to what a

user has in their pantry. This provides a mechanism giving users the ability to never have to wonder what they have

in their pantry at home. Users are always able to check whether or not they have a certain ingredient in their pantry,

as well as keep track of a grocery list of things that they do need for their pantry at home. Our application provides

an easy way to then transfer everything a user bought that was on their grocery list into their virtual pantry, with the

click of one button. With the application we have developed users can only track what they have in their pantry and

on their grocery list, they can utilize these items to then search for recipes on the web that they have the ingredients

to make. This allows users to not only get quick access to recipes they can make at that moment, but also allows the

user to see what ingredients they would need, and what they already have, to make a certain recipe. Our recipe

search will allow users to create meals tailored to the ingredients they have at home, or it will allow users to see

what ingredients they need to purchase tailored to whatever they have an appetite for that day.

Project Mentor: Professor Gregory Lee, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department

Project Mentor: Professor Soumya Ray, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department


Association Between Eating Disorder Inventory and Musculoskeletal Injuries in Collegiate Female Athletes

Jane Carsey, B.S. Nutritional Biochemistry and Metabolism, Department of Nutrition; Dr. Lynn Kam, Department

of Nutrition

An athlete’s goal is to optimize their performance. In low body weight and aesthetic sports, some athletes may

restrict caloric intake in order to achieve an “ideal” body composition. These pressures can develop into disordered

eating behaviors which can worsen over time into a more severe eating disorder. Female athletes face additional

challenges such as social pressures and participation in low body weight sports that put them at increased risk for

developing eating disorders. Eating disorders can lead to chronic negative energy balance which has a number of

associated problems such as impaired performance, poor immune health, and increased risk for musculoskeletal

injuries. These and other outcomes are results of what is known as Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports (RED-S).

This study investigated how Eating Disorder Inventory, a quantitative measure that assesses risk for developing an

eating disorder, was associated with prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries in varsity female athletes at CWRU.

Understanding how disordered eating behaviors are associated with musculoskeletal injuries in female athletes will

allow insight into how the severity of disordered eating behaviors and risk for eating disorders influences health and

performance, even at subclinical levels. This will help us better detect problems earlier on so that healthcare

providers and sports nutritionists can help treat these issues before they are more severe.

Project Mentor and Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Lynn Kam, Department of Nutrition

♦♦♦

Novel Portable Electromyogram for Multipurpose Clinical Research Use

Edward Carson, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Alex Ghorishi, Department of Biomedical Engineering,

Joseph Spitalli, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Yixuan Wang, Department of Biomedical Engineering,

and Marina Yu, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Matthew Williams, Department of Biomedical

Engineering, Colin Drummond, Department of Biomedical Engineering

Electromyography (EMG) is a way for clinicians to assess the activation of muscles through the use of

electrical signal detection. Surface electrodes are placed on the skin over the area of interest to collect signals that

are sent to the EMG device. Currently, these devices are large and not made for transportation, causing patients to

be bedridden or limited to a small area in order to be monitored by clinicians. Typically, the place in which EMGs

can be carried out is in a hospital or research setting, where the device is located. In addition, the most common

option for an EMG is one that always needs to be plugged into a wall. A portable EMG device will allow for remote

monitoring of patients via a portable, lightweight, wireless EMG device with at least 8 hours of battery life and 8

feedback channels. The device will be comparatively inexpensive to current available devices and capable of

storing the data in the form of specific numbers. It will also be able to transfer the data to an external computer

storage device. Currently in the prototyping and verification stage for senior capstone, a partial representation of the

device and plan for completion have been established, but the full device will be assembled in the Spring 2019

semester.

Project Mentors: Professor Matthew Williams, Department of Biomedical Engineering, and Professor Colin

Drummond, Department of Biomedical Engineering


Case LFG: An all-purpose looking for group web application

Vishal Patel, Department of Computer Science; Isaac Ng, Department of Computer Science; Nikhil

Chakravarthy, Department of Computer Science

For many activities, it is difficult to find a general group on short notice unless you otherwise already know

several people. Our goal is to create an all purpose looking for group (LFG) site where people can actively seek out

other groups to join/create their own group for other individuals with similar interests. Our project seeks to basically

streamline the process of looking for groups via multiple sites into one such page. Currently, our target audience will

be the Case Western campus and its associated members. The Case LFG website is an online webpage used to find

other people of similar interests via their posts. It will offer an environment for people to quickly find

groups/members to conveniently add to their groups. Given the website, a human user may log in to the website.

They will also be allowed to post a looking for members/group announcement which will show up in the feed of the

main website. Users will have the ability to comment and respond to lfg posts sent by other users. This feature

allows the users to communicate things like contact info/logistics relating to the respective post. The multiple feeds

will be sorted by their respective categories. There will be a search bar where the user will be able to parse their feed

for the relevant posts according to their keywords. After a certain time, various looking for group/more posts will be

archived so that the user will be able to view new announcements if they visit the website at a later date. They will

also be able to access their account settings page and change their account info. The frontend is built using React

with Material UI and the backend is built over a MySQL database with a Java-coded server. The whole project is

hosted on an EC2 instance in the Amazon Cloud. The website can be found at https://caselfg.com.

Project Mentor: Doctor Soumya Ray, Department Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

♦♦♦

Mixed-Method Analysis of Engagement on a Social Media-Based Weight Loss Study

Sandhya Chari, Department of Nutrition; David Cavallo; Department of Nutrition

A social media based weight loss intervention was conducted to increase physical activity by using

Facebook as a source of engagement among participants. The pilot study aimed to examine Facebook engagement

among the participants using a randomized controlled promotion trial (n=67). This research is concerned in

describing data obtained from the weight-loss pilot intervention. The overall study is a secondary data analysis of

Facebook posts from the intervention and the study design is a mixed methods design. We will perform a descriptive

analysis test on the comments and reactions of all the Facebook posts by the participants and the moderator to

determine which post types created the most engagement in the weight loss intervention. The analysis plan for this

study involves intensive coding and the creation of specific themes to organize all the comments and emoticon

reactions from various posts. The purpose of this analysis is to gauge the level of engagement on the Facebook

page, and to examine what types of posts (weight-loss related, poll votes, food recipes, nutritional information, or

requests/suggestions) differentially impact engagement (emoticon reactions, comments, poll votes, and views).

Project Mentor: Dr. David Cavallo, Department of Nutrition

https://caselfg.com/


Consequences of Genetic Mutations in Thoc6:

Characterizing Phenotypic Changes in a Mutant Mouse Model

Monica Chavan, Department of Biology; Katherine Johnson, Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences; Dr.

Ashleigh Schaffer, Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences.

Mutations in the human THOC6 gene have been shown to result in intellectual disability in multiple

individuals over the past few years. The THOC6 protein is a component of the THO sub-complex in the larger

transcription export complex (TREX). TREX, serving in cell nuclei as a facilitator of mRNA processing and export

to the cytoplasm, is necessary for life and regulates embryogenesis, cell differentiation, and gene expression. The

exact function of THOC6 in the cell, however, and its role in neurodevelopment, has yet to be elucidated. We

developed mouse models for Thoc6 by generating a knockout and hypomorphic allele for the Thoc6 gene. Western

blots to characterize protein expression across control, knockout, and two different hypomorphic genotypes show

that decreased levels of protein expression are indeed observed in the disease models, while the knockout shows no

protein expression. To determine at which stages in development Thoc6 mutants demonstrate differences in

neurogenesis, we analyzed mouse embryos by immunohistochemistry. First we assessed neural progenitor cells

(NPCs) by sectioning and immunostaining Thoc6-mutant and control brains over a range of embryonic ages. Using

NPC markers Sox2 and Pax6, we measured the number of proliferating and dying cells by co-localization with Ki67

and TUNEL respectively. We observed no change in NPC localization or abundance through time point e14.5.

TUNEL staining for apoptosis and Ki67 staining for proliferation also revealed no significant phenotypic changes

between wild-type and Thoc6-mutant mice by this stage in development. Later embryonic ages have yet to be

collected and sectioned to see when differences in proliferation and cell death first become apparent in Thoc6-

mutant mice. My early results suggest hypomorphic THOC6 expression does not affect NPC proliferation or

survival, and reduced THOC6 expression may instead impact other cell types which differentiate from NPCs later in

development (neurons) to drive the disease phenotype.

Project Mentor: Dr. Ashleigh Schaffer, Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences

Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Susan Burden-Gulley, Department of Biology



Establish Normative Values

Cindy Chen, Department of Nutrition; Oluchi Onyeukwu, Department of Nutrition

Nutrition professionals have found the collection of handgrip strength values to be an indicator of

functional status, or the ability for a subject to perform daily tasks. However, previous studies to establish normative

values have not been diversified enough. Through this study we began to establish more diverse normative values

for widespread use, and compared the values between Asian and African-American college students age 18-29 to

determine if there are differences between ethnic groups. We hypothesize that African-American subjects, both male

and female, will have higher handgrip strength values in comparison to their Asian-American counterparts and it

will be statistically significant at p<0.05. Subjects were recruited by the research assistants using social media,

posted flyers, and word of mouth. Cross-sectional data collection occurred over the course of 3 sessions at Case

Western Reserve University. The study was IRB approved and subjects provided verbal informed consent.

Demographic and health information was obtained via a questionnaire. Anthropometric measurements (height,

weight, palm length, and wrist, mid-upper arm, and hand circumferences) were obtained using a portable

stadiometer, scale, and measuring tape. A Jamar hydraulic hand dynamometer was used to measure handgrip

strength a total of 6 times alternating in both hands. A t-test was conducted to compare the maximum handgrip

strength of African-American men and women to that of their Asian-American counterparts. Data were collected

from 25 subjects. Analysis is pending but will be completed by the time of Intersections. If the grip strength of

African-American and Asian-American college students is significantly different, it is important to continue to

gather these data and thus further diversify normative values for grip strength.

Project Mentor: Professor Rosa Hand, Department of Nutrition

♦♦♦

Controllable RF Clock Signal Generator

Ruoyan Chen, Electrical Engineering, EECS Department; Hangxing Liu, Electrical Engineering, EECS

Department; Jie Wu, Electrical Engineering, EECS Department; Alex Roman, EECS Department; and Prof.

Soumyajit Mandal, EECS Department

The overall purpose of this project is to design and construct a controllable radiofrequency clock signal

generator with a frequency spectrum from 20 MHz to 80 MHz for the use of a receiver and an analog-to-digital

converter of an ultrasound scanner in Prof. Mandal’s Integrated Circuits and Sensor Physics Lab. The frequency is

to be adjusted and controlled in accordance to the need of users. This clock signal generator is designed to be cheap

and portable, in order to replace the heavy and expensive function generator which is currently providing the clock

signal to the system. The signal generator is controlled by De1-Soc FPGA board through serial communication

protocol. This design incorporates AD9913 Direct Digital Synthesizer, featuring 10-bit DAC operating up to 250

MHz with 100 MHz maximum output. The on-board phase lock loop utilizes 25 MHz crystal oscillator, the

incoming reference clock, and outputs 250 MHz reference to the DDS. The DDS is powered by the 3.3V FPGA

output, which is then converted to 1.8 V by a linear regulator. The design utilizes other electronic devices such as

low-pass filters, level-shifters, buffers and a digital comparator that could convert the DDS’s sine wave output into a

square wave output.

Project Sponsor: Prof. Soumyajit Mandal, Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science

Faculty Mentor: Prof. Gregory Lee, Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science


How does Region and Soil pH Affect Redback Salamander Populations?

Catherine Chervenak, Department of Biology; Dr. Michael Benard, Department of Biology

Abstract: Human actions are causing massive species extinctions on a global scale. Climate change, habitat

destruction, invasive species introduction, and pollution are all contributing to this decline in biodiversity and to

changes in species distributions. Still, there are few species whose distributions have been studied in detail and many

species that have not been documented at all. Surveys document the ecology of a specific area at a specific time.

This information can help establish conservation goals in the long-term by recording what baselines are necessary to

provide certain functions such as balancing invertebrate populations and contributing to ecosystem resilience. This

study focuses on the salamander populations at the CWRU University Farm. We surveyed the amphibian species at

the CWRU university farm over several months with the goal of answering two questions. The first is how

salamander abundance, color type and tail damage differ in three regions of the farm. The second is if any of these

variables are correlated with soil pH. Increased atmospheric deposition of sulfuric and nitrogen oxides due to fossil

fuel burning have led to increased acidification of the environment, which might be harmful to amphibian

populations. Furthermore, previous studies found that salamander abundance can be correlated with soil pH.

Redback Salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) were by far the most abundant species observed and thus the focus of

our analysis. If the salamander populations vary by region, we will investigate how additional variables, such as

plant community composition and invasive earthworm abundance, may provide mechanisms causing this difference.

If low soil pH is found to negatively affect salamander populations, it will suggest that increased acidification is a

threat to the P. cinereus population at the University Farm.

Project Mentor: Dr. Michael Benard, Department of Biology

♦♦♦

Coded Familial Genomic Data Privacy Processor

Yennmay Chia, Electrical Engineering; Shangran Li, Electrical Engineering; Tianyi Wu, Electrical Engineering

Human-genome sequencing has rapidly progressed and with it there is a growth in access and release of

personal ancestry and genetic information. Genetic information is sensitive, stable, and highly correlated amongst

family members. An individual’s genomic privacy is vulnerable to attackers who are able to infer single nucleotide

polymorphisms (SNPs) with the use of statistical relationships in regards to Mendelian Law and genomic variants

from the available data of family members. This project addresses the implications of familiar correlation on

genomic privacy through a coded inference algorithm that evaluates the effects of such dependencies on personal

privacy. Based on an algorithm created by Professor Erman Ayday, we have developed a visualization tool for

individuals to assess their genomic privacy risk based on the relationship and amount of familial SNP data available.

Tested on publically available familial data, a junction tree calculates the SNP genotype of an individual based on

the released family SNPs and minor allele frequencies of those of similar ethnic background. Producing a visual

platform, users are able to view specific SNP probability distributions for various scenarios of released and inferred

data based on user input.

Project Mentor: Professor Erman Ayday, Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science

Faculty Sponsor: Professor Gregory Lee, Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science


Monitoring Heart Rate and Galvanic Skin Response to Assess Patient Stress in the Intensive Care Unit

Stephanie Chin, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Martin Domondon, Department of Biomedical

Engineering; Jeshrene Enerio, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Turner Montgomery, Department of

Biomedical Engineering; Zoe Nykaza, Department of Biomedical Engineering

At least 4 million patients require intensive care unit (ICU) treatment every year; the ICU environment

often involves a variety of intravenous connections, procedures, repeated clinical examinations, in addition to a

general lack of privacy. Such a foreign environment may lead critically ill patients feeling distressed and anxious,

fostering individual emotional and physical stress that is believed to impact or delay patient recovery. This is

especially true in the ICU due to the lack of restful sleep, constant visitors, and multiple alarms throughout a

patient’s stay. The current standard of stress measurement used in ICUs is through conversations with patients and

nurse observations. However, these measurements are subjective, making the treatment of patient stress difficult. A

standardized, quantified stress measurement will aid nurses in evaluating patients in the ICU and improve their

recovery. The proposed solution is designed to utilize two physiologic parameters: heart rate (HR) and galvanic skin

response (GSR). The patient’s HR and GSR will be used in conjunction a machine learning algorithm to produce a

quantifiable stress index. The machine learning algorithm contains training data of both features that is used to

calculate a regression to determine the patient’s stress level. The patient’s stress level will be displayed on a monitor

capable of being attached to the vital signs monitor display in order for nurses to check during routine rounds.

Faculty Sponsor: Professor Colin Drummond, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Professor Matthew


♦♦♦

Improved Resection and Retrieval of Flat Polyps for Early Detection and Prevention of Colon Cancers

Rajiv Trehan1, Jasmine Sondhi1, Chao-yi Lu1, Doe Choi1, Sebastian Pino-Peralta1, Amitabh Chak2, and Colin

K. Drummond1

1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University

2. Gastrointestinal Health Institute, University Hospitals

Colorectal cancers are currently the third most prevalent cancer within the United States. The vast majority

of these colorectal cancers stem from polyps which are abnormal tubular or villous growths or lesions that can be

found throughout the alimentary tract. Currently, polyps are frequently resected using a snare tool and then retrieved

using a Roth Net®. Failure in retrieving these polyps is about 10% which can be correlated to 3 factors including (1)

the size of the polyp with polyps smaller than 5 mm frequently lost from the line of sight, (2) height of the polyp

with the snare unable to encapsulate some polyps, and (3) a difficulty to manipulate the Roth Net® past the right

colon loop. The morphology of these polyps can vary between raised or flat. The raised polyps’ height profile allows

easier encapsulation of the snare and net leading to a lower failure rate of treatment. However, an improved method

for resecting and retrieving flat mucosa and polyps is required. This study serves to propose a new design for both

the resection and capture of flat polyps. The proposed design combines the action of the snare and net system into a

one-pull method to avoid loss of visual contact of the resected polyp into the alternating contracting folds of the

intestines. Additionally, through the use of a polymer with the modulus properties of interest, the net’s durability has

been improved to avoid leaving low density polyethylene in the patient’s GI tract. The net ring’s polymer

functionalized surface with the addition of a linker molecule allows for effective capture of the flat mucosa causing

the flat polyps height profile to increase during resection.

Project Mentor: Dr. Amitabh Chak, M.D., Gastrointestinal Health Institute University Hospitals

Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Colin K. Drummond, Department of Biomedical Engineering


Motorized Knee Orthosis with Phase of Gait Detection to Aid with Toe Clearance in Stroke Patients with Leg

Weakness

Christina MacAskill1, Emily Molinich1, Elizabeth Schafer1, Rachel Loeff1, Nathaniel Choo1, Kevin Yang1,

Jessica McCabe2, Colin Drummond1, Matthew Williams1 1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA. 2Cleveland FES Center, Lewis Stokes VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA.

Every year about 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke, with only about 10% of those patients

making a full recovery1. The consequences of a stroke can include muscle weakness and loss of fine motor control.

As a result, one of the biggest challenges is toe clearance while walking, causing patients to trip and fall during daily

activities. Additionally, knee stiffness and poor balance affect patients following a stroke. In healthy individuals, the

primary propulsion forces for walking are generated by the ankles; however, after a stroke that results in leg

weakness, the ankle musculature is frequently paralyzed. Most current solutions for this problem are for advanced

physical therapy, but there are a limited number of available devices for use in daily activities. To address leg

weakness in stroke patients, our group proposes a device that aids the patient in lifting their leg off of the ground to

avoid “toe catch” in the swing phase of gait coming out of the push off phase. This device detects the phase of gait

with force sensing resistors (FSR) inserted under the sole of the foot, and an integrated motor to assist in knee

bending. Shown in this symposium is a proof-of-principle prototype that uses lights to demonstrate our device’s

accuracy in predicting the phase of gait and its ability to activate the motor at the correct times during toe-off and

heel strike. Future development will include an integration of the motor to our proof-of-principle prototype, which

will generate a moment at the knee to actively lift the leg.

Project Mentors: Professor Colin Drummond and Professor Matthew Williams, Department of Biomedical

Engineering

Mozzafarian D, Benjamin EJ, Go AS, Arnett DK, Blaha MJ, Cushman M, et al., on behalf of the American Heart

Association Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Heart disease and stroke statistics—2016

update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation 2016;133(4):e38–360.

♦♦♦

Effects of Gemcitabine on EDB Fibronectin Expression in Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Samuel Chou, Department of Biology; Peter Qiao (Graduate Student), Department of Biomedical Engineering

Extradomain B fibronectin (EDB-FN) is an extracellular matrix (ECM) oncoprotein that is commonly

overexpressed in pancreatic cancer cells. Overexpression of the protein is associated with poor prognosis and

aggressiveness. The Case Center for Biomolecular Engineering is currently developing new methods of detecting

pancreatic cancer early on by targeting EDB-FN using synthesized peptides. This research project would contribute

toward the said development by providing information on how chemotherapeutic agents, such as gemcitabine, can

affect the expression of EDB-FN and the overall behavior of pancreatic cancer cells. It is hypothesized that

gemcitabine would decrease the expression of EDB-FN in pancreatic cancer cells and decrease cell aggressiveness.

Two specific aims have been devised to support this hypothesis. Aim 1 would establish that cancerous cell growth is

inhibited by gemcitabine. This would be accomplished through obtaining and analyzing the IC25, IC50, and IC75

values of the agent. Inhibitory concentrations would be determined through MTT assays. Aim 2 would establish that

EDB-FN expression changes with varying concentrations of the agent. In vitro expression of EDB-FN would be

examined using western blot and confocal microscopy.

Project Mentors: Dr. Zheng-Rong Lu, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Peter Qiao (Graduate Student),

Department of Biomedical Engineering

Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Ronald Oldfield, Department of Biology


TLE3 May Repress EMT to Promote Luminal Breast Cancer Cell Properties

Marian Chu, Chemistry and Biology; Dr. Lindsey Anstine, Department of Pharmacology; Dr. Ruth Keri,

Department of Pharmacology

Breast cancer is a heterogeneous disease with multiple subtypes including luminal and basal. Luminal

breast cancers (LBC) are associated with less aggressive phenotypes and better patient outcomes compared to basal

breast cancers (BBC), which are more aggressive, leaving patients with poor prognoses. This difference is partially

due to the high cancer stem cell (CSC) content within basal tumors. CSCs express markers associated with epithelial

to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and have the ability to migrate from the primary site and seed new tumors in

distant locations, a process referred to as metastasis. Thus, identifying factors that control the expression of CSC

genes will provide new knowledge about the aggressive nature of breast cancer subtypes. Our lab has identified a

co-repressor protein, TLE3, that represses CSC genes in LBC cell lines. As CSCs are associated with EMT markers,

we hypothesize that TLE3 also represses EMT genes in LBC. EMT is the process by which epithelial cells lose their

polarity, cell-to-cell adhesion, and tight junction proteins including E-cadherin and ZO-1. Cells then upregulate

mesenchymal proteins including N-cadherin and Vimentin, promoting a migratory cell phenotype. To examine

whether TLE3 represses EMT markers in LBC, I will silence TLE3 using siRNA in MCF7 cells. Next, I will

determine if protein expression of N-cadherin, Vimentin, and E-Cadherin change using western blots. Additionally,

I will perform immunofluorescence staining for ZO-1. I expect N-Cadherin and Vimentin to increase and E-

Cadherin and ZO-1 to decrease in response to TLE3 silencing. As these assays are not currently used in the lab, I

have optimized ZO-1 staining in MCF7 cells and western blot analysis of Vimentin and E-cadherin. These studies

will help to understand whether TLE3 represses genes associated with EMT and CSCs, providing insight into how

aggressive phenotypes in breast cancer are controlled.

Project Mentor: Dr. Ruth A. Keri, Department of Pharmacology

Faculty Sponsor: Professor Dianne Kube, Department of Biology

♦♦♦

RoadPrintz: Precision Robotic road painting systems

Sean Morrison, Electrical Engineer; Kjay Shieu, Electrical Engineer; Kevin Coe, Electrical Engineer

The street painting industry is roughly worth $400 million in the United States, and as more and more

drivers enter the streets there will be a need for accurate street signs for their safety. Today’s street painting is done

by hand and is relatively slow and cost inefficient. This research explores the possibility of using an alternative in

the form of a vehicle mounted with a robotic arm that can precisely measure its location and paint an accurate street

sign. This is done by using a precise GPS device combined with localized odometry, taken from the vehicle

CANBUS, to measure the position in space of the vehicle. Using this data, we can feed it to the robotic arm to

accurately paint the street signs. When fully developed, the vehicle would be able to paint the street signs accurately

while on the move as well as being able to paint more complex figures.

Project Mentor: Professor Wyatt Newman, Department of EECS


A Radio Frequency Tracking Device for In-Home Monitoring of Autistic Patients

Amber Colley, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Anshul Dhingra, Department of Biomedical Engineering;

Samantha Magliato, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Neil Orton, Department of Biomedical Engineering

Individuals with autism, especially children, have a high tendency to wander away from secure places in

their environment. Unsupervised wandering can place a tremendous amount of stress on caretakers, as these

individuals have the sole responsibility of caring for and protecting the child. Without the ability to perceive danger

and communicate basic information, the child can easily wander out of the house toward a busy street or even find

themselves too close to the hot stove. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) uses radiowave technology to

determine the presence of a radiofrequency tag, and based on signal strengths can monitor relative distances between

specific tags. The potential to place multiple tags and readers throughout a patient’s home can be used to monitor the

relative location of the child. Using this technology combined with a central monitoring system, a caretaker can have

direct access to the movements of a child. With the child also wearing a device that can communicate to the central

control system, if the child were to approach a dangerous location an alarm can be triggered on the monitoring

system to alert the caretaker. Thus, if the child got too close to a dangerous part of the home, or managed to get out

of the house and head towards the street, the caretaker would immediately be notified. The goal of an RFID tracking

device is to enable the real-time monitoring of an autistic child, thus keeping the child out of harm’s way and giving

caretakers peace of mind knowing their child is safe in their own home. Children with autism should not feel trapped

in their own environment. They should have the potential to explore and experience their environment as a form of

mental and physical enrichment, and as such, a radio frequency tracking device can help achieve this purpose.

Project Mentor: Hendrik Dewald, Department of Biomedical Engineering

Faculty Mentor: Professor Colin Drummond, Department of Biomedical Engineering

♦♦♦

Hidradenitis Suppurativa Underarm Drainage System

Prerana Jaikumar, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Hee Seung Son, Department of Biomedical

Engineering; Jin Young Kim, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Kenneth Conover, Department of

Biomedical Engineering; and Paul G. Hazen, MD, FAAD, Clinical Professor of Dermatology, Case Western

Reserve University School Of Medicine

Hidradenitis Suppurativa (HS) is a debilitating illness linked to inflammation and scarring of the sweat

glands. HS is defined by recurrent, sterile abscesses increase areas of the skin such as the underarms and groin.

These abscesses can leak up to 2 cups of fluid per day. Our solution will target HS at Hurley Grade II, at which

there are multiple inflammatory nodules with moderate leakage. Current treatments are crude and involve basic

compression of affected areas with diapers or towels. This disease causes physical discomfort and pain in

doing everyday activities in which movement of the afflicted areas are needed. Beyond physical effects, this

disease causes many emotional effects such as embarrassment of the smell and dealing with people's

misunderstanding of the disease (people may think it is contagious). Our goal is to make a garment not only

helps alleviate the physical discomforts of HS but help people with this disease live their everyday lives. Our

solution to this problem will improve the quality of life of the patient by implementing a shirt-esque design to

contain the fluid leakage while preserving the dignity of the patient. We utilize a modular design that allows for

customizability - both in the profile of the patient and the amount of fluid leakage. Patients will be able to

replace the disposable absorbable pads in the device at their convenience. By wearing our device underneath

their day-to-day wear (which is often loose and not form-fitting), HS patients can live a more dignified and

comfortable life.

Project Mentors: Professor Colin Drummond, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Professor Matthew



Use of a Neural Network for Respiratory Navigation to Enable Free-Breathing Abdominal MRF

Evan Cummings1, Kathleen Ropella-Panagis2, Wei-Ching Lo1, Vikas Gulani1,2, Nicole Seiberlich1,2

1Department of Biomedical Engineering, 2Department of Radiology

Magnetic Resonance Fingerprinting (MRF) is a method for generating quantitative maps of tissue

parameters, primarily relaxation times. MRF has been demonstrated as a powerful tool in cardiac and abdominal

imaging (Hamilton, MRM, 2017 and Chen, Radiology, 2016). Respiratory motion can cause inaccuracies in the

parameter maps, but the effect of motion can be reduced by binning the data appropriately using an image-based

navigator. Traditional approaches to image-based navigators can be challenging to employ with MRF data due to the

high levels of undersampling and continuously changing contrast of the images. In this study, an artificial neural

network was trained to differentiate contrast changes from respiratory motion in MRF images to effectively

determine the respiratory phase.

Training data were generated using a 3D abdominal phantom with realistic respiratory motion by

simulating a 2D MRF sequence (Hamilton, MRM, 2017). A total of 38,400 images were generated with varying

respiratory motion curves at eight different slice positions through the abdominal volume. These images were sorted

into five bins, separated based on motion of the phantom data. This dataset was partitioned into training and cross-

validation datasets, with approximately 90% of the data used for training and 10% used for validation. The network

was composed of 3 hidden layers, with batch-wide normalization and ReLU activation. The network was trained

over 8 epochs with a minibatch size of 10 and an initial learn rate of 0.001, which was reduced by a factor of 10

every 4 epochs.

This network is currently able to correctly identify the phantom validation data with 90% accuracy.

Research is still being conducted to extend this network’s effectiveness to in vivo data.

Project Mentor: Nicole Seiberlich, Department of Biomedical Engineering

♦♦♦

Connecting Medical Devices in the ICU

Jay Gokhale, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Adam Davis, Department of Electrical

Engineering and Computer Science; Chris Hadiono, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Medical devices in the ICU do not have a single protocol for communications, and synchronization of

patient data with a uniform timestamp from different devices is not guaranteed. The objective of this project is to

build a solution that facilitates the collection and synchronization of real-time patient data in the ICU, so that clinical

personnel can visualize, review, and analyze past and current patient data to improve clinical decision-making.

The ICU contains many medical devices that connect to a patient and collect data over an extended period

of time. Clinical personnel visualize the numeric and waveform data for each patient on specific devices to evaluate

a patient’s condition. After the data is displayed the observed trend disappears from the device screen and is not

accessible except in summarized numeric format in the Electronic Medical Record. Dealing There is no standard

communication protocol that used for all medical devices, and data from different devices is not synchronized with a

consistent timestamp that would enable clinical personnel to go back and review all of a patient’s data as it was

collected in real-time. Our research aims to design and build a combined hardware and software solution that allows

patient data from different devices to be collected, synchronized and archived. The system includes custom

software that enables communications with the patient monitor and an Arduino-based data acquisition system to

collect data from other devices in the ICU. Clinical personnel with interact with the system through a user interface

to mange the acquisition of the multimodal data and well as to record and review all of the data be acquired from the

medical devices. The system will also synchronize the data so it can be used and interpreted by clinical personnel.

Project Mentor: Professor Kenneth Loparo, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.


Genetic Variation and Chronic Kidney Disease

Gabriela DeFurio1, Jessica N. Cooke Bailey2,3, Tyler Kinzy2,3, Kristy Miskimen2,3,4, Penelope Miron4, William S.

Bush2,3, John O’Toole5,8, John Sedor5,6,7,8, and Dana C. Crawford2,3,4

1Departments of Biology, 2Population and Quantitative Health Sciences, 4Genetics and Genome Sciences, 5Medicine, 6Physiology and Biophysics, and 7Molecular Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 3Cleveland Institute for Computational Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 8Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a major health outcome in the United States affecting more than 13% of

the general adult population. The prevalence of CKD is higher among African Americans compared with other

racial and ethnic groups, and the rate of progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is disproportionally faster

among individuals of African ancestry compared with individuals of European ancestry. This health disparity

observed among African Americans cannot be fully explained by access to health care or higher rates of co-

morbidities, such as hypertension or diabetes, compared with European Americans. In fact, to date, the only major

factor associated with the observed disproportionate prevalence of CKD and rate of ESRD among African

Americans compared with other groups is APOL1 and its common genetic variants G1 (rs73885319) and G2

(rs71785313). We are interested in characterizing known and identifying novel genetic variants that impact disease

progression, including modifiers. To accomplish this, we ascertained 135 patients with CKD from MetroHealth

linked to electronic health records. Consented patients donated biospecimens, and DNA was extracted for genome-

wide genotyping of approximately 2 million markers using Illumina MegaEX. On average, the study population is

63.5 (13.9 standard deviation) years of age and more than half is female (58%). The majority of participant patients

with race/ethnicity data available in the electronic health record (n=115) is either African American (45%) or

European American (44%). Among the 135 genotyped samples, 133 passed initial quality control for APOL1 renal

risk variants G1 and G2, including 57 and 52 African American and European American participants, respectively.

As expected, G1 and G2 minor alleles were frequent among African American participants (0.28 and 0.12,

respectively) but either absent (G1) or rare (G2; 0.01) among European American participants. African American

participants were more likely to carry one (RA1; 38.6%) or two (RA2; 21%) renal risk alleles (RA) compared

European Americans (RA1; 1.9%). Analyses are ongoing to further characterize the patient populations, including

estimating genome-wide and local genetic ancestry. Individual genetic variants and ancestry will be tested for

association with clinical markers of disease, disease progression, and co-morbid outcomes such as cardiovascular

disease.

Project Mentor: Dr. Dana Crawford, Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences

Faculty Sponsor: Professor Barbara Kuemerle, Department of Biology


Daily Doctor

Sarah Deng, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Christina Gallishen, Department of

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Tiffany Nguyen, Department of Electrical Engineering and

Computer Science

Many people, especially the elderly, tend to forget whether they have taken their daily medication. This can

lead to either completely forgetting, or taking a double dosage on accident. To target this problem the Daily Doctor

was created to remind its user to take their daily-prescribed medication, dispense the proper dosage for its user, and

implement safety mechanisms that prevent overdosing. The proof of concept will accurately dispense the correct

dosage of four different pills, have an alarm that will sound once a day, and will require a PIN to have the

medication dispensed. At this time, the proof of concept will only receive four types of pills shaped like M&Ms at a

time. It will also be assumed that all the pills are only taken once a day and every day of the month. The end goal of

this proof of concept is to begin the path of preventing errors in medication consumption in both elderly patients,

and potentially at long-term care facilities.

Project Mentor: Evren Gurkan Cavusoglu, Ph.D, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science;

Faculty Sponsor: Gregory S. Lee, Ph.D, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

♦♦♦

Developing Verification Methods for an Integrated Optical Coherence Tomography Radio Frequency

Ablation Catheter

Deniz Dosluoglu, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Xiaowei Zhao, Department of

Biomedical Engineering, Dr. Andrew Rollins, Department of Biomedical Engineering

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of conductive pathways in the heart using fluoroscopic guidance is a

standard of care for arrhythmias such as atrial fibrillation (afib). However, ablation-targeting methods are limited

due to the indirect means of evaluating lesion quality and culprit tissue substrates, and lack of direct, real-time

assessment is a contributing factor to sizable afib late recurrence rates. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) has

been shown to be effective in distinguishing treated and untreated tissue and identifying different cardiac regions

and tissue substrates. These findings have motivated the development of an integrated RFA/OCT catheter that has

the potential to improve the outcomes of cardiac arrhythmia patients by producing high-resolution, real-time images

that will aid electrophysiologist (EP) practitioners to better target structures and pathways that are responsible for

the onset and persistence of arrhythmias like afib. Results obtained from recent experiments using a combined

catheter prototype pointed to the need for standard methods to verify that current and future fabricated custom OCT

probes are uniform and operational. Several verification methods were identified and investigated, including

development and imaging of a birefringent phantom for system calibration, monitoring signal output from the

utilized dual detectors using LabVIEW, and creation of a jig to measure the focal length of the GRIN lens at the

distal tip of the imaging probe.

Project Mentor: Dr. Andrew Rollins, Department of Biomedical Engineering


Building a Precision Analog Matrix Tester

Deniz Dosluoglu, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Michael E. Gentry, Rockwell

Automation Inc.

The Precision Analog Matrix is a grid of relays that provides a series of connections from the system side

to the user side of the A2Z Test Platform at Rockwell Automation, Inc. so that the devices under test can be

stimulated and measured to ensure they are performing optimally. If, in the case of a system malfunction, the matrix

is identified as the culprit during self-test, the platform is only able to pinpoint the error to one of the six switching

PCBs, which have 144 relays on each. Removing the matrix from the platform, attempting to identify the faulty

components, replacing them, and re-installing the entire device is a time costly procedure that can be performed

several times by technicians with the assistance of engineers before the matrix is deemed to operate normally, which

reduces factory output levels and efficiency. This project addresses the need for a robust, efficient way to test the

matrix. A full functional prototype benchtop tester was developed that would allow technicians and engineers

supporting the A2Z test platform to debug the matrix with a Digital Multimeter and desktop and view the results in a

generated spreadsheet.

Project Mentor: Michael E. Gentry, Manager (Product Validation & Test), Rockwell Automation Inc.,

[email protected]

Faculty Advisor: Gregory Lee, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

♦♦♦

Particle Ball

Brendan Dowling, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Nikil Pancha, Department of

Mathematics, Applied Mathematics and Statistics; Megan Robinson, Department of Electrical Engineering and

Computer Science; and Henry Zheng, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Particle Ball is a turn-based strategy game that allows users to move a ball and score points using Catalysts.

Unlike in traditional strategy games, players take their turns synchronously and all actions that they take are

resolved together. Additionally, instead of being able to directly interact with the ball, the only interaction is by way

of using Catalysts to manipulate the ball through simple forces, such as attraction and repulsion. A user connects to

the game through a desktop application, and is able to play against remote opponents by connecting to a server, or

against a trained AI locally.

Project Mentor: Professor Soumya Ray, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science


Variable star classification with crowd sourcing

Nicholas Easton, Department of Physics; Adam Miller, Northwestern University CIERA; Aaron Geller,

Northwestern University CIERA, Xander Hall, Illinois Math and Science Academy

We present a Zooniverse citizen science project in development aimed at classifying variable stars in the

LSST Big Data era. Currently we make use of data from the Atlas and PTF catalogs, mapped to Gaia DR2. We plan

to expand to additional data sets (including that of LSST) in the near future. The addition of Gaia data enables

Zooniverse volunteers to not only view the light curve for an individual source, but also an H-R diagram showing a

particular star’s location relative to all stars in the catalog. This, in combination with the shape of the light curve and

the inferred variability period and amplitude, provides volunteers with information necessary to classify variable

stars into a finer grid than with the light curve alone. On the back end, we will use volunteer classifications to train

a machine learning algorithm to help vet the (large) catalog of available variable stars prior to entry into the

Zooniverse workflow. In this poster we present our current Zooniverse workflow, initial results, and our plans for

the future.

Project Mentors: Adam Miller, Northwestern University CIERA; Aaron Geller, Northwestern CIEAR

Faculty Sponsor: Professor Rolfe Petschek, Department of Physics

♦♦♦

Hardness-Depth Profiling Using Digital Image Processing and Machine Learning

Ethan Field, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and Frank Ernst, Department of Materials Science

and Engineering

The purpose of this research was to investigate hardness of metals by means of machine learning and other

data science approaches. Using various sample preparation, we were able to better understand the process of

scratching materials. My research group has been working on the cutting edge of surface engineering by

concentrated interstitial solute (SECIS) for many years and this presented the need for newer, faster, and cheaper

methods of hardness testing. SECIS involves using low temperature carburization, a process where a metal is heated

to relatively low temperatures to inhibit substitutional diffusion but enhance interstitial diffusion which allows

carbon and nitrogen to penetrate into the metal’s surface and enhance the properties exhibited including hardness,

wear resistance, fatigue life, compressive stress, and corrosion resistance but doesn’t allow the movement of other

elements within the material, notably iron and chromium. Some of these properties can be enhanced by 100x the

original material’s properties. Under these special SECIS processing conditions, it is possible to obtain nitrogen and

carbon atom fractions of 0.15, corresponding to 100,000 times the room-temperature equilibrium solubility. These

processing conditions were developed with the Swagelok Company. A successful treatment can be measured by

obtaining the cross-sectional hardness-depth profile of the material. This is the onus for my project.

Project Mentor: Professor Frank Ernst, Department of Materials Science and Engineering


A Portable Thermoacoustic Stirling Calliope with Automated Playback

Meaghan FitzGerald, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Alexander Trimbach,

Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Matthew Zyle, Department of Electrical Engineering

and Computer Science; and Dr. David Kazdan, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

A calliope is a musical instrument similar in construction to an organ which generates high volume sounds

using flowing air and pipes. We present a design for a thermoacoustic calliope using electric Stirling engines (as an

alternative to standard airflow pipes) for producing tuned sounds. Our device has been designed with particular

attention given to portability and usability. The instrument uses a series of engines constructed from glass test tubes

and ceramic insulating buffers to generate tunable sounds in order to play a selection of previously encoded songs.

The device uses a Raspberry Pi computer as its main control unit for processing note selections and triggering

switching circuits to power each individual engine. The computer also provides an integrated graphical user

interface for allowing non-technical users to operate the system with ease. All of these components are powered by

an integrated power supply system requiring only a single AC wall connection.

Project Mentor: Dr. David Kazdan, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Faculty Sponsor: Professor Gregory Lee, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

♦♦♦

Matlab Software to Record and Stimulate in Aplysia californica

Johanna Fritzinger, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Current neuron recording and stimulating techniques require stiff electrodes that damage cells and are not

conducive to recording behavior of an animal in vivo. Technology being developed by the Chestek Lab at the

University of Michigan uses flexible carbon fiber electrode arrays as an alternative to stiff glass electrodes to record

signals from individual neurons. This has several advantages when studying behavior of Aplysia california,

including being less damaging to cells and more forgiving with movement while executing behavioral in vivo

experiments. Specifically, this technology can further research into the roles individual neurons play in feeding

behavior in Aplysia californica. This project is a Matlab program that records carbon fiber electrode arrays in

ganglia and hook electrodes on nerves simultaneously in one program through two hardware systems. Current

problems with data analysis, recording, and stimulating via two different programs include errors in syncing data

and cumbersome data collection, which will both be solved with implementation of this Matlab software. This

software will be used specifically for carbon fiber electrode array experiments and includes impedance testing of the

array to ensure the array is in working condition before use.

Project Mentor: Dr. Hillel Chiel, Department of Biology

Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Gregory Lee, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science


Uncovering the Role of FMO3 in Obesity and M2 Macrophage Mediated Beiging of White Adipose Tissue

Kevin Fung (B.S. in Biology), Dr. Rebecca Schugar, Dr. Anagha Kadam, Chelsea Finney, Department of Cellular

and Molecular Medicine at Lerner Research Institute

Flavin Monooxygenase 3 (FMO3) is a hepatic enzyme that converts the gut microbial metabolite

trimethylamine (TMA) into trimethylamine n-oxide (TMAO). Clinical studies have shown that elevated TMAO

levels in plasma are also associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and obesity in humans and mice. The Brown

lab has also previously demonstrated that the knockdown of FMO3 in mice attenuated weight gain from high fat diet

when compared to controls. This decrease in weight gain was partly attributed to an increase in beiging of their

white adipose tissue, which many researchers are targeting as a therapeutic strategy for weight loss. Beiging of white

adipose tissue involves the activation of the uncoupling protein 1 gene (UCP1), which increases energy expenditure

by switching mitochondria to thermogenic respiration. However, the exact mechanism by which the

TMA/FMO3/TMAO pathway affects the pathogenesis of obesity and the beiging of white adipose tissue is

unknown.

UCP1 is activated through a pathway that involves the binding of catecholamines to beta-3 adrenergic

receptors (ADRB3). Previous studies have found that an important source of catecholamines in adipose tissue is

resident M2 macrophages. These alternatively activated immune cells thus play a key role in the beiging of white

adipose tissue. Therefore, we hypothesize that the activity of the FMO3 enzyme regulates beiging in adipose tissue

by affecting immune cell function. Experiments will investigate difference in how the M2 pathway is activated when

FMO3 expression is either up or downregulated in mouse models. By understanding the pathway that FMO3

knockdown acts to reduce weight gain, we can develop better strategies for inducing beiging of white adipose tissue

in order to combat obesity.

Project Mentor: Dr. J. Mark Brown, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Cleveland Clinic Lerner

Research Institute

Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Arnold Caplan, Department of Biology at Case Western Reserve University

♦♦♦

Building a Modular Framework for Exploring Agent Organization Problems in Reinforcement Learning

Micheal Menart, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Zicheng Gao, Dept. of Electrical

Engineering and Computer Science; Sibi Sengottuvel, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science;

Ayush Karnawat, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Imeiro is a Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning (MARL) framework. Despite rising interest in alternative

schemes of Reinforcement Learning (RL), in current Computer Science research, most Reinforcement Learning

frameworks only natively support, single agent learning or specific, narrow formulations. For example, BURLAP

(Brown-UMBC Reinforcement Learning and Planning) which is focused to Object-Oriented Markov Decision

Processes (OO-MDP). Other popular frameworks mostly address specific portions of RL environments without

providing a cohesive and integrated interface for all aspects. For example, OpenAI gym focuses on the environment

aspect of reinforcement learning and does not support multiagent environments without modification. The Imeiro

framework is intended to provide a holistic and integrated Python 3 framework to enable users to consistently and

entirely conduct multi-agent and single-agent reinforcement learning experiments, as well as extend it with maximal

code reuse to alternative RL approaches. We mediate the interaction between the learning environment, algorithm

and policy via a novel Agentsystem object which can be extended for use in other RL formulations. To provide

addition extensibility, we also implement a callback system to allow for extraneous modification to experiments to

be conducted and recorded in a consistent fashion.

Project Mentor: Soumya Ray, Dept. of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science


Utilizing the Electronic Health Record to Standardize Pediatric Obesity Management Practices

Madeline Garb, Department of Nutrition

The objective of this study was to describe the electronic health record (EHR) features attending and

resident physicians at the University Hospitals Rainbow Center for Women and Children outpatient clinic, Rainbow

Pediatric Practice (RPP), believe would better support identification and management of pediatric patients with

obesity. We invited all practicing physicians at RPP (n=113) to complete a 20-item survey administered

electronically. Descriptive statistics were performed to describe current obesity related practices and EHR

preferences of participants based on number of years practicing medicine. The survey response rate was 23%

(n=24). Nearly all of the participants were residents (96%;n=23). Of the residents, 48% were in their first year

(n=11), 43% were in their second year (n=10), and 9% were in their third year (n=2). 54% (n=13) of participants

reported documenting an obesity-related diagnosis in the EHR less than 50% of the time for a child who has obesity.

Participants reported most frequently referring patients to the clinic’s registered dietitian (RD) by calling/paging the

RD (63%;n=11), flagging the RD in the hallway (54%;n=13), and providing the patient with information to call to

make the appointment (50%;n=12). Only 17% (n=4) of participants reported placing a referral order in the EHR.

Irrespective of years practicing medicine, few participants (17%; n=4) were familiar with the Expert Committee

Pediatric Obesity Guidelines. Across all years in practice, the majority of participants were in favor of prompting

referral to the clinic’s RD (79%;n=19) and automatically including the expert committee guidelines in the patient

discussion section (88%;n=21). Based on the results, the EHR may be effectively used to standardize the referral

process to the RD as well as recommendations provided to patients in the discussion section. Future researchers

should investigate the efficacy of this technology in standardizing the management of obesity as well as how this

standardization impacts patient outcomes.

Project Mentor: Dr. Rosanna Watowicz, Department of Nutrition

♦♦♦

Divergent environmental adaptation in acorn ants (Temnothorax curvispinosus)

Matthew Garvin, Department of Biology, Dr. Lacy Chick, Department of Biology

With the spread of urban development and the growing effects of global climate change, an important

aspect of physiological ecology is to understand how organisms are responding to these rapid changes in their

environments. One of the major changes associated with these factors is an increase in average temperature, beyond

historical conditions. The goal of this study is to examine the relative adaptive abilities of acorn ant (Temnothorax

curvispinosus) populations from different climate and land use backgrounds. We collected ant colonies from rural

and urban sites surrounding the Cleveland area and conducted a reciprocal transplant experiment to test for

divergent adaptation capabilities between colonies. The experimental data has been recorded and we are in the

process of analyzing it to test the significance of our results. We expect to see that rural colonies will express lower

levels of fitness (measured as brood production/colony survival) when exposed to urban environments and vice

versa.

Project Mentor: Dr. Lacy Chick, Department of Biology

Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Sarah Diamond, Department of Biology


Welding Monitoring System

Jay Gokhale, Department of Electrical Engineering;

The Lincoln Electric Company, the world leaders in providing welding solutions, have a lab on the factory

floor in which they use a multi-step timing program to prepare weld samples in accordance with the American

Welding Society’s specification A4.3: Standard Methods for Determination of Diffusible Hydrogen Content of

Martensitic, Bainitic, and Ferritic Steel Weld Metal Produced by Arc Welding. The current monitoring system was

run on an outdated software that posed a security risk to the company network.

My research was focused on designing a more robust weld monitoring application to prepare weld samples.

The monitoring system starts timing immediately upon the termination of a weld, and directs the operator through a

series of steps via audio queues to complete the weld samples in an accurate and repeatable fashion. The system

needed to be modern, cheap, and able to handle the variations in welding current experienced across the full range

all arc welding processes. The solution increases operator efficiency by giving clear and concise instructions. To

solve this problem we first investigate National Instruments data acquisition hardware and the LabVIEW software

environment. Next we explore several algorithms for most effectively monitoring a weld and being able to load

customizable steps for the operator. Finally we explore how to connect this project to the larger error logging and

data management software systems used at The Lincoln Electric Company.

Project Mentor: Ben Schaeffer, Group Leader New Products Development, The Lincoln Electric Company,

[email protected]

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Gregory Lee, Department of Electrical Engineering

♦♦♦

An Event Management Solution for the Android Mobile Platform

Kevin Griesser, Department of Computer Science; Heather Schmidt, Department of Computer Science; and Kalli

Schumacher, Department of Computer Science

The planning of large-scale, recurring events involves an unacceptable amount of repetitive and time-

consuming bookkeeping effort. From a high level perspective, the organizers already have an understanding of the

major objectives that need to be completed, but their time is wasted on mapping out specific deadlines and

adjustments. The purpose of this android mobile app is to assist the organizers of events in scheduling and

delegating tasks that need to be completed for their upcoming event. By providing automation for the solely

administrative responsibilities, as well as tools for improving intra-organizational communication, the application

will produce a noticeable time savings for event planners.

The application is intended for users and organizations with events that reoccur multiple times, whether

that be yearly, monthly, or any other frequency. Users will be able to create an organization and design a general

template of the tasks that need to be completed leading up to the final event. These tasks will be associated with a

role in the organization, and will be given a time they need to be completed by, relative to the date of the final event.

Once the user sets or changes the date of the event, the application will automatically generate a new schedule of

tasks based on the input date. Users will also be able to filter their tasks to see them based on who they are assigned

to, by which event/sub event they are for, and by the date they need to be completed. The application will also

provide a feature to assist users in sharing external resources across their organization, and a discussion section to

facilitate communication within the planning team.


mailto:[email protected]


Coursework Website

Ding Gu, Department of Electrical Engineering; Yiming Pan, Department of Computer Science

In Case Western Reserve University, there are tons of resources to help students with entry level course.

For example, there are si session weekly and students can find peer tutor online. However, when students took the

high level course, it is hard to find someone who can help students with the class. There are no peer tutors and si

sessions for most upper level courses. The office hours of professors is not enough to answer students’ question

about lecture and homework. In addition, some students may meet difficulties about which course should enroll next

semester. A group of students who would like to discuss the hard part in the class and share the thoughts of how to

solve homework problem would be helpful to study the upper level course. A clever guide on course suggestion

based on friends choice and required course for graduation will be useful. We would like to make a website that help

students make group in the same course and recommend the course to students. We will use package named Django

and its subpackages in Python to implement our functionality.


♦♦♦

Released Product Engineering Co-op at Keithley Instruments

Paul Guativa, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

During my eight months at Keithley Instruments, I was tasked with supporting products after their release.

This included a wide variety of tasks such as failure analysis, obsolete component replacement, and cost reduction.

This translated a variety of experiences such as determining the root cause of failure in a surface mount transformer,

and testing less expensive power supplies for use in products. The most time consuming project I worked on was

with a product able to measure both sensitive low voltages, and hundreds of volts. This required multiple voltage

ranges. The lower voltage ranges required current limiting to protect the more sensitive circuitry when the

measurement node was above the other ranges. At the time, the product used a configuration which caused

production failures due to a wide range in saturation currents of a JFET. Unfortunately, there were not any higher

quality parts with less variance in saturation current that would have worked for the application. This meant that the

current limiter needed a complete redesign. With the assistance of several different co-workers, I developed a

promising prototype. The test and measurement industry requires high quality products and thus I had a list of

potential problems to test for. I was not able to fully test all concerns because of my short time as a coop at Keithley

Instruments. Therefore, I ended my coop making detailed documentation so the project could be completed at a later

date.

Project Mentors: John Wadalowski, NPI Program Manager, Keithley Instruments, [email protected]



User Interface for Spinal Cord Injury Patients

Chen Guo, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Brenda Rodriguez, Department of Biomedical Engineering;

Jeffrey Shen, Department of Biomedical Engineering

Spinal cord injury (SCI) currently affects around 300,000 people in the United States. This type of injury

can result in partial or complete loss of muscle movement from the neck down and affects roughly 25% of those

with a SCI. Those with SCI often struggle to perform common activities of daily life (ADL) such as feeding,

grooming, and using computers. To address this last issue, recent technological advances have allowed for

development of new methods to interact with computers and potentially help to improve these individual’s

independence. The current work focuses on a user interface comprised of an insertable mouthpiece to detect

selections (similar to a mouse click) and an eye tracking system to provide computer cursor navigation. This device

was tested with individuals doing ordinary computer tasks such as checking emails, reading news articles or playing

solitaire. We believe our approach and design provides a practical and economical solution, contributing to a

patient’s quality of life.

Project Mentor: Dr. Matthew Williams, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Dr. Colin Drummond, Department

of Biomedical Engineering


Exploring the Link Between Media Representations of Women and Men’s Attitudes Towards Violence

Against Women

Nandita Gupta, Departments of Psychological Sciences and Sociology

Violence against women is a pervasive global issue. The World Health Organization classifies violence

against women as a, “major public health problem” (“Violence Against Women”, 2017). Globally, 1 in 3 women

have experienced such violence (“Violence Against Women”, 2017). Studies have implicated portrayals of women

in media in influencing negative attitudes towards women. In particular, the persistent sexualization and

objectification of women in the media has been linked to perceptions of women as possessing fewer human

qualities, such as competence and morality (Heflick, Goldenberg, Cooper, & Puvia, 2011). It has also been shown to

affect gazing behavior, such that more time is spent looking at sexual body parts rather than the faces of women

(Karsay, Matthes, Platzer, & Plinke, 2018). The purpose of this comprehensive literature review was to summate

whether a link exists between the objectification and sexualization of women across a multitude of media genres,

and attitudes accepting of violence against women among men who consume this media. Collectively, findings

indicate that consuming media that objectifies women is associated with greater rape myth acceptance and greater

likelihood of rape proclivity. These findings apply across multiple genres, including television, music, pornography,

and magazines. If this thesis were confirmed, these findings of greater rape myth acceptance and rape proclivity

would have implications for the content put forth by the music, television, and print publication industries. These

findings might call for a critical examination of the portrayal of women in these industries, and efforts for changing

these negative images. Ultimately, such findings could provide grounds for understanding a contributing factor to

this global issue, and a new target for preventing such violence.


Key References:

Heflick, N. A., Goldenberg, J. L., Cooper, D. P., & Puvia, E. (2011). From women to objects: Appearance focus, target

gender, and perceptions of warmth, morality and competence. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 47(3),

572-581. doi:10.1016/j.jesp.2010.12.020

Karsay, K., Matthes, J., Platzer, P., & Plinke, M. (2018). Adopting the objectifying gaze: Exposure to sexually

objectifying music videos and subsequent gazing behavior. Media Psychology, 21(1), 27-49.

doi:10.1080/15213269.2017.1378110

Violence Against Women. (2017, November 29). Retrieved October 1, 2018, from http://www.who.int/news-

room/fact-sheets/detail/violence-against-women


Benefits of Synthetic Surfactant for Individuals Suffering from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and

Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Rohun Gupta, Department of Biology

Neonates born before 30 weeks of gestation suffer from respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Lack of

treatment for neonates undergoing RDS leads to death. One of the main causes of this disorder is the lack of

surfactant in the alveoli of the lungs. Pulmonary surfactant is a complex lipoprotein mixture that prevents the

collapse of the alveoli and increases the surface area and decreases surface tension of the alveolus membrane.

Current therapies for surfactant deficiency rely heavily on treatment of the lungs with animal derived surfactant.

However, there are many advances in process to form a synthetic surfactant to combat a deficiency in the

distribution of animal derived surfactant. This review will focus on the creation of an effective synthetic surfactant,

alternative methods of surfactant instillation, and major issues associated with the use of synthetic surfactant.

Current researchers have seemingly produced an effective synthetic surfactant that contains the vital surfactant

proteins (SP) A, B, C, and D along with other lipoprotein complexes. However, instillation of surfactant in neonates

and adults is a complex process requiring medical equipment, complex techniques, and costs that continue to

increase. To overcome these issues, researchers have developed a surfactant that can be administered through a

noninvasive procedure. This noninvasive process can be effectively utilized by individuals in underdeveloped areas.

In addition, animal derived and synthetic surfactants are costly products, and its long term effects are still unknown.

Project Mentor: Dr. Leena Chakravarty, Department of Biology

♦♦♦

Investigation of Dietary Iron on Tumorigenesis with TUNEL Assay Stained Intestinal Cells

from ApcMin/+ Mice

Sebastian Osorio, Pranav Hegde, James Swain Department of Nutrition, Case Western Reserve University,

Cleveland, OH

Iron is needed to undergo normal bodily functions such as oxygen transportation through the blood, DNA

synthesis, ATP production, and cellular respiration. There is no way for iron to be excreted, it can only be lost

through sweat, blood loss, and the sloughing of intestinal cells. Since there is no way to excrete it, problems such as

toxicity, oxidation of lipids, hydroxyl radical formation, and damage to cells/DNA occur. Iron is also responsible for

the survival of cancer cells by contributing to DNA replication and repair. There are clear associations between red

meat intake and colon cancer risk. We looked at a series of small intestinal tissue samples stained using TUNEL

Assay and observe whether or not excess iron affects intestinal tumorigenesis in the different villi and crypts of

intestinal cells. We looked at TUNEL Assay IHC stains and count the number of cells per villi. A light microscope

(Leica DM6000) was used to analyze the intestine sections. A whole slide scanner was used to make high-res

images. Data analysis was done using the statistical package SAS and Minitab Express 1.3.0. The goal was to

compare the # of cells stained for TUNEL Assay with that of a healthy villi. We found that a heavy quantity of

dietary iron increased the growth rate of tumors as well as the size. There was an abnormal amount of nuclei in the

villi in the heavy dietary iron group compared with the low dietary iron/control.

Project Mentor: Dr. James Swain, Department of Nutrition


Life and health outcomes of justice-involved youth as a result of targeted racial discrimination and

criminalization

Isabella Hu, Department of Psychological Sciences

Nearly 53,000 youths are held in correctional facilities every day as a result of juvenile or criminal justice

involvement (Sawyer, 2018). One in ten of these youths are held in an adult jail or prison. One in five juvenile-

justice involved youth are held in detention facilities before they have even been found guilty. Unsurprisingly,

adolescents of color are grossly overrepresented in the juvenile incarceration population. Even though black youth

make up less than 14% of all youth in the U.S, 43% of boys and 34% of girls in juvenile facilities are black (Sawyer,

2018). The purpose of this capstone project is to review the literature regarding the mechanisms by which youth of

color are targeted by the justice system and its agents, in addition to the life and health outcomes of incarcerated

youth. Findings indicate that justice-involved youth were likely to come from violence-prone low socioeconomic

neighborhoods. Research suggests black youth were more likely to experience police discrimination and harassment

than their white counterparts. Additionally, incarcerated youth were subjected to additional harassment and

discrimination while being held in detention facilities. According to the literature, juvenile discrimination and

incarceration were found to be contributing factors to negative life and health outcomes, such as chronic

unemployment, housing instability, PTSD, and depression. This comprehensive literature review briefly discusses

potential policy reform; however, further research on this current societal problem will contribute to a more

comprehensive understanding of how to address the institutional mechanisms that foster inequality in our justice

system, in addition to providing effective and rehabilitative treatment for incarcerated youth.

Project Mentor: Dr. Anastasia Dimitropoulos, Department of Psychological Sciences

♦♦♦

Investigating the Mechanisms of Oligodendrocyte Damage in Hypoxia-Induced White Matter Injury

Lucille Hu, Department of Biology and Anthropology; Kevin Allan, Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences;

Drew Adams, Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences; Paul Tesar, Department of Genetics and Genome

Sciences

Communication through the body’s central nervous system (CNS) requires the efficient propagation of

electric signals across neural axons, which are surrounded by a fatty protective sheath called myelin. Heavily

myelinated fibers form the white matter of the brain, marking its key communication centers. Myelin is generated by

a type of glial cell in the brain called the oligodendrocyte (OL). Oligodendrocytes, in turn, are formed from the

differentiation of oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs), which are present in both the developing and adult brain.

These OPCs are capable of responding to white matter injury by proliferating and migrating to necessary sites where

they then differentiate and replace damaged oligodendrocytes. However, in many white matter diseases these OPCs

are unable to properly regenerate oligodendrocytes, leading to impaired white matter recovery.

Myelin formation is significantly hindered in low oxygen conditions (hypoxia). Previous work has shown

that hypoxia leads to the death of developing oligodendrocytes in preterm infants; in response to the injury, OPCs

proliferate and migrate to lesioned areas of the brain but are unable to differentiate, leading to delayed white matter

acquisition. A family of transcription factors called Hypoxia Inducible Factors (HIF) have been implicated in this

differentiation blockage, but the mechanism remains unknown. While HIFs are degraded under normal oxygen

conditions via enzymes in a cascade, HIFs are unable to be degraded during hypoxia and instead enter the nucleus

where they bind to and alter the transcriptome.

Here, we examine key HIF targets to analyze which downstream genes mediate the inhibition of OPC

differentiation under hypoxic conditions. Using CRISPR activation technology, we identify two key genes that,

when individually overexpressed, cause a significant decrease in oligodendrocyte formation. These findings lead to

further studies which will investigate the in vitro interactions of these transcription factors.

Project Mentors: Dr. Paul Tesar and Dr. Drew Adams, Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences


Neural Network Dynamics Controlling Egestive Feeding Behavior in Aplysia californica

Yu Huan, Department of Biology; Jingyi Yang, Department of Biology; Nathan Kodama, Department of Electrical

Engineering and Computer Science; Hui Lu, Department of Biology; Dr. Roberto F. Galán, Department of Electrical

Engineering and Computer Science; Dr. Hillel J. Chiel, Department of Biology

The constantly changing activities in neural network contribute to the dynamics of the neural network and

allow the animals to adjust their behaviors to the environment. The motor expression of feeding behavior in Aplysia

californica is controlled by the buccal ganglia consisting of relatively large and accessible neurons. Therefore, the

feeding behavior in Aplysia serves as a valuable model for studying neural circuitry dynamics. In previous studies,

the identity and behavioral function of individual interneuron or key motor neuron involved in the feeding motor

pattern have been characterized. Yet understanding the correlated activities within a large population of neurons is

as critical as individual neural activity. In this study, we simultaneously recorded the nerve activities in I2 nerve,

radular nerve (RN), buccal nerve 2 (BN2) and buccal nerve 3 (BN3) via hook electrodes, and activity from a large

population of key neurons via microelectrode array (MEA, 120 electrodes) over time. Several key neurons such as

interneurons B4/B5, motor neurons B6/B9 and B44 were identified through their one-to-one projections to the

nerves by individual neural stimulation through microelectrodes. In response to the stimulation of a sensory nerve

branch BN2-a, the nerve activity of these key neurons was consistent with egestive motor pattern program. We also

investigated the effect of interneurons B4/B5 on other motor neurons and on motor output. Our data showed that

B4/B5 has an inhibitory effect on several motor neurons such as B6/B9 and B44, suggesting its dominant role in

shaping the pattern. Our data also suggested that activation of B4/B5 activity at the start of an egestive motor pattern

results in less activity on I2 and RN during protraction phase and prolonged activity of B4/B5 during retraction

phase, providing preliminary evidence of pattern modulation by B4/B5.

Project Mentor: Dr. Hillel Chiel, Department of Biology and Dr. Roberto Galán, Department of Electrical

Engineering and Computer Science


Targeting Diabetic Retinopathy with Peptide Therapeutics

Fanny Huang, Department of Nutrition, David Lodowski, Department of Proteomics and Bioinformatics

Chronic inflammation is an underlying cause for the advancement diabetic retinopathy, allowing for the

prevention of the inflammatory process to be a therapeutic target for treatment. Neutrophil inhibitory factor (NIF), a

17 amino acid leader sequence followed by a 257 amino acid residue, is a glycoprotein derived from the canine

hookworm, Ancylostoma caninum, and exhibits activity to block the interaction between neutrophils and endothelial

cells at the CD11b/CD18 binding domain. The underlying mechanism of the inhibitory activity of NIF on

neutrophils is due to the high affinity of this molecule to bind with the A domain of the 𝞫2 integrin, Mac-1, by

binding divalent cations. Although NIF is an effective antagonist of the I domain ligand-binding site, this protein has

not been seen to inhibit binding of ligands to other active sites which contain CD18 within the subunit, such as

CD11a/CD18. Thus, the selectivity of NIF’s mechanisms allow for an advantageous approach to downstream

inflammatory events, and the proposed theory of potentially preventing ligand binding on the CD11b/CD18 active

site by NIF begs further investigation. In order to fully understand the underlying molecular mechanism of NIF on

CD11b/CD18, a high-resolution, three-dimensional protein structure must be obtained by performing x-ray

crystallography. In this investigation, we successfully expressed NIF on transgenic yeast, Pichia pastoris, in which

we followed up with setting up crystal trays to prepare for X-ray crystallography screening. Upon obtaining the

molecular structure of the CD11b/CD18 binding domain (the I domain) we may then be able to test the binding of

NIF to the I domain as a technique to inactivate the pro-inflammatory response as therapy for inflammation-related

diseases. This experiment will use x-ray crystallography to determine the structure of the cellular receptor bound to

NIF expressed in E.coli and elucidate interactions between CD11b and NIF using co-crystallization with peptide-

based inhibitors based upon the sequence of NIF.

Project Mentor: Dr. David Lodowski, Department of Nutrition and the Center for Proteomics and Bioinformatics

♦♦♦

Mechanisms and Detection of Glioma Progression Revealed Using Multiscale Interrogation

William Huang, Department of Biology; Haley Gittleman, Department of Population and Quantitative Health

Sciences, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine; Warren Coleman, Dartmouth University; Dr. Jill

Barnholtz-Sloan, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve School of Medicine

Lower grade gliomas (LGG) can progress to become higher grade tumors leading to high morbidity and

mortality. Recent glioma studies from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) have categorized LGGs by specific key

biomarkers: IDH mutation, 1p/19q codeletion, and TERT mutation. A pathologists review of a piece of brain tumor

tissue could be enhanced using quantitative information derived from digital pathology slides that is predictive of

clinical outcomes. Hence, we employ a machine learning model for quantification of digital pathology images in

order to better understand LGG prognosis, heterogeneity of disease and disease progression. The model will be

categorizing digital pathology images and clinical data from 262 GBM patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas

(TCGA) with images available through The Cancer Imaging Archive (TCIA). The discovery set contained half of

the patients selected randomly. The validation set contained the other half of patients. R and Linux programming

were used to create three different algorithms that categorize digital pathology images from TCIA. The first

algorithm detected the edge of nuclei on the pathology slide to focus on individual cells. The second algorithm

identified the dominant direction of the nuclei in the tissue. The third algorithm identified the malignant nuclei on

the slides through entropy calculation. R and Linux programming will be used to develop one algorithm that uses the

patient clinical data to further differentiate GBM subtypes. All algorithms need further testing to validate their

usefulness for clinical care. These algorithms will also be expanded to include relevance for other types of brain

tumors and other types of cancer.

Project Mentor: Dr. Jill Barnholtz-Sloan, Professor, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve

University School of Medicine


Holden Arboretum Remote Transmission Unit Design and System Integration

Dylan Humphrey, Electrical Engineering, Elyh Lapetina, Electrical Engineering, Allie Meier, Computer

Engineering

The Holden Arboretum is seeking a cost-effective solution to collect air temperature and humidity, soil

temperature, light available for photosynthesis, and soil moisture data throughout their grounds in Kirtland, Ohio;

somewhere between 30 and 50 data-collectors are required for full coverage. Existing market solutions are both

overly complex and expensive at a large scale since these products employ very expensive sensors and require

periodic physical access for downloading data. In order to address this problem our team designed a low-cost, low-

power wireless sensor network. Our solution collects air temperature and humidity data, soil moisture and

temperature data and foliage light-exposure data from various electrical sensors. A low-powered, long range IoT

sensor network relays data from each data-collection station to a primary server using a Lora network. The air

temperature and humidity as well as the soil temperature sensors are off-the-shelf sensors. A low cost foliage

exposure sensor was designed by our team, and the soil moisture sensor will be designed at a future time. The design

for the foliage exposure sensor included collecting data through a photodiode as well as creating a system that could

easily be calibrated using a monochromatic light source. The overall system consists of several Remote

Transmission Units and a singular Gateway server. Each Remote Transmission Unit consists of an 8-bit

microcontroller paired with a Lora hardware module with one of each of the sensors defined above. The server

consists of a Raspberry Pi, acting as the server controller and Lora Concentrator module acting as the Lora Bridge.

Project Mentor: Lawrence Sears, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

♦♦♦

Selective, Reversible Inhibition of Small Diameter Axons Using Glucose

Elizabeth Jackson, Department of Biology; Junqi Zhuo, Department of Biomedical Engineering; and Dr. Hillel

Chiel, Department of Biology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Neurosciences

Many diseases affecting the peripheral nervous system can be treated through neuromodulation. Patients

suffering from diabetic neuropathy, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and other conditions would benefit from

improved selectivity and targeting in their treatments. Small diameter axons throughout the peripheral nervous

system carry sensory information and, if properly modulated, could provide a way to manage many symptoms of

these diseases. We are investigating glucose blocking as a passive method of neuromodulation that seeks to

preferentially block signals from small-diameter axons. Using the model organism Aplysia californica we stimulate

and record compound action potentials (CAPs) from the pleural-abdominal connective nerves. Using a chamber

built with three separate adjustably-sized sections, data is collected to show the effects of the glucose applied over

different lengths of nerve. Bathing a segment of the nerve in an isotonic glucose solution while the other two nerve

segments are perfused in normal Aplysia saline inhibits the signal, blocking the CAP entirely when the glucose is

applied over large distances. At very small gaps the glucose solution does not produce a blocking effect. At

intermediate distances, it is possible to identify a selective block of small units, showing the specificity of the

mechanism. After the blocking is observed, we replace the glucose solution with normal Aplysia saline, allowing for

recovery of the nerve and showing that the CAP does not shrink or change significantly after being rinsed in

glucose. The implications for use in the peripheral nervous system are significant, where it may be possible to

develop a mechanism of glucose application that leads to sustainable pain management without nerve damage.

Project Mentor: Dr. Hillel Chiel, Department of Biology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Department of

Neurosciences


Effect of labor status and intrauterine infection on density of immune cells at the maternal-fetal interface

Divya Jasthi, Department of Biology; Rachel Wilson, Department of Reproductive Biology; and Sam Mesiano,

Department of Reproductive Biology, Department of Physiology & Biophysics

It is well established that human parturition is an inflammatory process. The onset of labor involves an

increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines within the tissues of the uterus. It is hypothesized that an inflammatory load

threshold exists below which the uterus is quiescent and above which the uterus transitions to the laboring

phenotype. Leukocyte infiltration of the myometrium is thought to have a pivotal role in the onset of labor.

Accumulating evidence demonstrates that myometrial inflammation is a consequence rather than a cause of labor,

suggesting it may be leukocyte infiltration of the decidua at the maternal-fetal interface that triggers the

inflammatory cascade of parturition. This study examines leukocyte localization in human and Rhesus myometrium

and its correlations with chorioamnionitis (inflammation at the maternal-fetal interface). We found that

inflammation was primarily localized to the decidua in both Rhesus and human samples. The leukocytes observed in

the myometrium were primarily located in perivascular areas and not within myometrial bundles. These findings

suggest that leukocyte infiltration of the myometrium is not a requirement for parturition; however, inflammation in

the decidua may be key in causing the onset of labor. There may be a signaling mechanism between the decidua and

myometrium that triggers the inflammatory cascade.

Project Mentor: Professor Sam Mesiano, Department of Reproductive Biology, Department of Physiology &

Biophysics

Faculty Sponsor: Professor Barbara Kuemerle, Department of Biology

♦♦♦

Design and Analysis of a 3D Printed Magnetic Breakaway Connector for Use in Implanted Stimulation

Devices

Noel Jeansonne, Biomedical Engineering & Pre-Medicine; Ivana Cuberovic, B.S., Department of Biomedical

Engineering; Dustin Tyler, Ph. D., Department of Biomedical Engineering

The Magnetic Breakaway Connector (MBC) is designed to reduce the risk of injury during at-home use

with a neural prosthesis system. The neural prosthesis system contains percutaneous leads from the limb of the

subject which are connected to various sensors on the prosthetic surface. Snagging of these cables could pull the

percutaneous leads out of the skin, causing injury to the subject, and potentially harming the implanted system.

Tension on the wires of the neural prosthesis system causes the MBC to open, thus disconnecting the internal

electrical components by counteracting the magnetic connective force. The internal magnetic system is composed

of a ring of magnets around the electrical components to compress the internal connector spring pins with 2.0

pounds of pull force required for complete separation of the electrical components. The MBC has a 2-keyed

directional design to prevent improper connection of the male and female pieces when used by the subject at home.

The housing was printed in Think[box] using the 3D printers to create a cost-effective and easy to manufacture

housing.

Project Mentor: Professor Dustin Tyler, Ph. D.


The Association Between Diet Quality and Energy Status in Collegiate Female Athletes

Chaewon Jeong, Department of Nutrition - Nutritional Biochemistry and Metabolism; Jane Carsey, Department of

Nutrition; Esme Hendrickson,

Introduction: Athletes are often expected to have proper exercise regimens and healthy diets; however,

college athletes often face challenges in balancing these elements alongside a hectic schedule. Female athletes, in

particular, are more likely to face negative health consequences due to these challenges in the form of menstrual

dysfunction and impaired bone health among other risks such as increased risk of injury.[1,2]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine if there was an association between diet quality and

energy status in collegiate (DIII) female athletes.

Subjects: Female varsity athletes at Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), a Division III athletics

school. The subjects were from basketball (n=10), swimming (n=11), tennis (n=18), and track and cross country

(track/cc) (n=17).

Methods: Three day food and physical activity logs, as well as body composition measurements, were used

to calculate energy availability (EA) and Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI-2010) scores.

EA is the amount of dietary energy that remains after exercise that can be used for the rest of the body’s metabolic

processes. The HEI-2010 was chosen to determine diet quality over other analysis methods because the HEI-2010

gives a percentage of the relative dietary guidelines the diet abides by in respect to the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for

Americans, with a total score out of 100. [3] The HEI-2010 also provides a more holistic view of the diet compared

to other methods of analysis.

Project Mentor: Lynn Cialdella Kam, PhD, MBA, RDA, LD, CWRU School of Medicine, Department of Nutrition

♦♦♦

Effect of Polyhydroxy Fullerene Nanoparticles on 4T1 Cancer Cells

Seri Jhang1 (Biology), Vijay Krishna2

1College of Arts and Sciences, Case Western Reserve University 2Department of Biomedical Engineering, Cleveland Clinic Lerner Institute

Cancer is the second-leading cause of death, affecting approximately one million people in the United

States alone. Treatments of cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy. However,

there are significant side effects associated with each type of current treatments; thus, novel approaches in cancer

treatment is dire. Cancer is characterized by malignant proliferation of abnormal cells and is induced by genetic

mutations. Nanotechnology is a promising approach as it deals with manipulation of materials in nano-scale, in

which genetic mutations occur. Dr. Krishna’s lab has been working with polyhydroxy fullerenes (PHF) for cancer

prevention and treatments.

PHF is a water-soluble and biodegradable antioxidant. Further, other groups have shown that PHF exhibits

anti-tumor and antimetastatic activities in EMT-6 breast cancer model. The goal of this research is to utilize the

anticancer properties of PHF and study its effect on 4T1 cancer cells. PHF will be encapsulated in different

polymers and inorganic particles, such as chitosan and silica, in order to enhance the anticancer properties. PHF

encapsulated particles will be characterized for size using dynamic light scattering (DLS) and scanning electron

microscopy (SEM). 4T1 cells will be exposed to PHF and PHF nanoparticles and assayed for survival and oxidative

stress using commercially available fluorescent kits.

Project Mentor: Vijay Krishna, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Cleveland Clinic Lerner Institute

Faculty Sponsor: Radhika Atit, Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University


Automation of Dog Toy Processing

Bowen Jin, Department of Electrical Engineering; Rohan Sinha, Department of Electrical Engineering;

Christopher Tam, Department of Electrical Engineering

Automation of factory jobs can prove to help both factory workers and the companies that hire them. For

simple and tedious jobs, keeping long-term employees can prove extremely difficult for companies since many

people do not enjoy uninteresting work and therefore will leave these positions often. With the assistance of robotic

automation, companies can eliminate the need for these tedious positions and have a greater level of efficiency in

production because these machines will be able to run without breaks. Additionally, these robots would require

much cheaper maintenance than the average human worker. However, there are certain tasks that robots do not have

the capability to perform just yet. Instead of these tedious and uninteresting jobs, the human workers would be able

to oversee the automation progress as well as create an additional layer of product verification to ensure quality

before shipping. This project is specifically designed to cut the flashing off of molded KONG dog toys. While there

are several other tasks that can be automated throughout the post processing of the dog toys our work was built as a

design for providing an overall proof of concept design of automation for the full automation project that is the dog

toys can be visible and reachable to the robotic arms.

Project Mentor: Dr. Wyatt Newman, Department of Electrical Engineering

♦♦♦

Octopaminergic Modulation of Wing and Haltere Behavior in

Drosophila Melanogaster

Tasha Johnson, Department of Cognitive Science; Dr. Jessica Fox, Department of Biology; Noah DeFino, Lab

Technician; Michael Rauscher, Graduate Student; Chenxin Bi, Undergraduate Student

Changes in behavior are often associated with changes in levels of neurotransmitters. OA is a

neurotransmitter that is release in all arthropods during various physical activities, metabolic activities and flight and

fight situations (Li, 2016). OA receptors are found in several neurons of fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster)

including but not limited to their neck motor and visual neurons (Suver, 2012). In three experiments the role of OA

was tested through its effects on how it helps fruit flies balance visual stimuli and fly at normal amplitudes in

regards to their wings and halteres. From the analysis that we conducted through the three different experiments, we

were able to see that without OA, Drosophila Melanogaster lose the ability to increase their wingbeat frequency in

response to visual stimulus, and that the amplitudes of their halteres and wings were decreased. As a result, our

findings show that octopamine plays an essential part in visual responses as well as in maintaining an effective

amplitude range for their halteres and wings.

Project Mentor: Dr. Jessica Fox, Department of Biology


Transitioning to Adulthood: Evaluating Childhood and Adolescent Victimization as Predictors of

Adult Maladjustment

Ann Jung, Department of Psychology

Bullying and victimization has drawn the attention of families, schools, health professionals, and

researchers alike. With an increasing rate of school shootings, suicide, and mental health issues, much research has

been done on the topic of victimization and its effects during childhood and adolescence. Studies that have tracked

children and adolescence found that peer victimization has a lasting impact on both physical and mental health. In

addition, bullying and peer victimization has been linked to poor social developmental skills. Poor academic

performance has also been associated with cumulative instances of peer aggression and victimization. Overall,

however, few studies have actually focused on the lasting and serious ramifications in the lives of adults who

experienced the trauma of peer victimization and bullying as a child. Thus, the purpose of this capstone project is to

examine the impact of the development of children and adolescents who have been victimized, offering significant

identifying factors that can be used to help predict and address adult maladjustment.

Keywords: peer victimization, bullying, adulthood, maladjustment

Project Mentor: Dr. Anastasia Dimitropoulos, Department of Psychological Sciences

♦♦♦

WWV Frequency Tracker

Tyler Keen, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

The next total solar eclipse to occur in the United States occurs in April 2024 with Cleveland in the path of

totality. The Case Amatuer Radio Club wants to collect data leading up to the solar eclipse as well as during. One of

the instruments that they requested is a WWV received frequency tracker. The tracker listens to and measures the

Doppler Shift of the radio station WWV’s radio beacon located in Fort Collins, Colorado and collects the frequency

deviations received in Cleveland, Ohio. The data will be used to track trends leading up to the solar eclipse and see

how the received frequency changes due to changes in the ionosphere caused by the solar eclipse. The WWV

Frequency Tracker automates a manual process and converts all times to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) to

avoid the issues of daylight savings time.

Project Mentor: David Kazdan, Adjunct Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science

Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Gregory Lee, Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science


Variations in the electronic structure during chemical exfoliation of LiCoO2 into CoO2

Lee Kendall, Department of Materials Science and Engineering; Kevin Pachuta, Department of Materials Science

and Engineering; Emily Pentzer, Department of Chemistry; Alp Sehirlioglu, Department of Materials Science and

Engineering

LiCoO2 (LCO) is a widely utilized cathode material for commercial Li-ion batteries, and its bulk properties

have been extensively studied. LCO is a layered oxide material and can be exfoliated into two-dimensional nano-

sheets through a two-step chemical exfoliation: (i) protonation and (ii) intercalation with bulky molecules.

Presented in this poster are the changes in the electronic structure determined by X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy

(XPS). Core peaks (Co 2p, Co 3p, Co 3s, O 1s, C 1s) and valence spectra have been analyzed throughout the

chemical exfoliation treatment process as a function of varying processing parameters. In addition to the reactant

powders during each exfoliation step, the supernatants have also been characterized to determine the mass and

charge balance for the whole system. A low-spin state is determined for Co and although the Co t2g orbitals are

considered non-bonding in first approximations, it is likely that the oxygen experiences the decrease in electron

occupancy via an increase in covalency between O 2p and Co eg. It is found that cobalt, as well as oxygen, undergo

a partial oxidation process during the exfoliation of bulk LiCoO2 into CoO2-nanosheets.

Project Mentors: Emily Pentzer, Department of Chemistry; Alp Sehirlioglu, Department of Materials Science and

Engineering

♦♦♦

Novel Aramid Polymer Brushes for Water Desalination Membranes

Alison Kennedy, Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering; Caleb Reese, Colorado School of Mines

Department of Chemistry; Dr. Stephen Boyes, Colorado School of Mines Department of Chemistry

Polymer brushes are emerging as a method to make high performance polymeric coatings since they consist

of polymer chains covalently bonded to a substrate. The chemical attachment allows for superior mechanical

properties over traditional polymeric coatings. This work focuses on using polymer brushes to fabricate membranes

for water desalinization since they have increased strength and stability and can also be tailored to address issues

such as fouling. The monomer synthesized for this work consists an aromatic backbone for rigidity, a trifluoro

leaving group to increase the rate of polymerization, and a polyethylene glycol (PEG) side chain to aid in anti-

fouling. The monomer was polymerized through chain growth condensation to allow for control over brush

thickness and a high grafting density, both of which are important to create uniform films. These polymerizations

were done on both silica nanoparticles and wafers that had been previously initiated. The silica particles and wafers

were analyzed with gel permeation chromatography, thermogravimetric analysis, ellipsometry, goniometry, and

GATR-FTIR. Copolymers with protecting side chains were also synthesized and successfully deprotected which

will allow for hydrogen bonding between the brushes. Hydrogen bonding would increase the strength of the

membranes while also increase their ability to remove ions from water. Future work includes optimizing the

copolymer ratios and fabricating membranes with this polymer and analyzing their desalination capabilities.

Project Mentor: Stephen Boyes, Colorado School of Mines Department of Chemistry


Digital I/O Control Panel with Demo Board

Andrew Kirby, Department of Electrical Engineering

This project was completed during my time working for Keithley Instruments. The new models of Digital

Multimeters, the DMM6500 and DAQ6510, have a large touchscreen user interface. This can be used to increase the

functionality of the instrument using Applications. These Apps are run on the firmware of the instrument. The

Digital I/O Control Panel App was written to aid engineers who use the instrument’s digital I/O lines, but do not

wish to write their own interfacing and control code. It migrates control of the I/O lines on the rear of the instrument

to its touchscreen in an intuitive and easy to use interface. The app can both write to and read from the digital port

and line states can be toggled both individual with the push of a button, and all at once by entering a binary word.

The second half of this project was to create a demonstration circuit board to show that the application was

functioning properly. The board includes a DB9 input for the digital lines. It uses the digital line states to toggle

relays which in turn power LEDs. This is to provide visual and audible feedback to show that the app is indeed

functioning as intended. Two of the digital lines are also shorted together. This shows the line reading functionality

as one line can be set as an output and one set as an input to read the other.

Project Mentor: Josh Brown, Applications Engineer, Keithley Instruments

Faculty Mentor: Greg Lee, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

♦♦♦

Töst: A Smarter Breadboard

Tyler Kohrt, Department of Electrical Engineering; David Lituchy, Department of Electrical Engineering; Ethan

Smilg, Department of Electrical Engineering;

Töst is a new tool for prototyping and learning about electronics in an interactive, intuitive, and shareable

way. It is targeted at students, hobbyists, and those with little background in electronics, and is an improvement over

the traditional breadboard. Töst is a system that integrates a breadboard layout tool on the computer with custom-

designed hardware that uses LEDs to indicate where components should be placed, visually guiding the user as they

build their circuit and removing many of the frustrations associated with constructing and troubleshooting circuits on

traditional breadboards. The desktop software is a standalone Windows application that leverages components of the

open-source Fritzing software package, and the hardware is controlled with a TI MSP430 microcontroller. Users are

able to share their project files with others who have the Töst software installed.

Project Mentor: Professor David Kazdan, Department of Electrical Engineering

Faculty Sponsor: Professor Gregory Lee, Department of Electrical Engineering


Imaging Mechanical Properties of Embryonic Heart Development

Katherine Koning, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Brecken Blackburn, Department of Biomedical

Engineering; Michiko Watanabe, Department of Pediatrics; Michael W. Jenkins, Department of Pediatrics and

Biomedical Engineering; Andrew M. Rollins, Department of Biomedical Engineering.

As more developmental relationships between structure and function are discovered, there is an increasing

need for the study of the mechanical properties of embryonic tissues. A superior understanding of the mechanical

function and characterization of small biological tissues present a variety of potential applications including 3-

dimensional tissue modeling and simulation for the purpose of individualized diagnosis and evaluation. However,

there are no appropriate tools currently available to study mechanical properties of soft, millimeter-scale structures

like embryonic heart valves. One potential solution that might fill this technological gap is Optical Coherence

Tomography, which leverages low-coherence interferometry using near-infrared wavelength light. Here, we present

work utilizing OCT in a mechanical characterization context, where semi-static forces are applied to very small

biological tissues, and the relative compressibility of the sample tissue is compared to the relative response of a

substrate of known Young’s modulus. Based upon this relative degree of compression, the Young’s moduli of

embryonic tissues are evaluated at varied degrees of development, based upon the Hamburger Hamilton stages

preceding, during, and after the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, thereby evaluating the mechanics of

endocardial cushion formation and the extracellular matrix maturation. By applying C-OCE to these cohorts, we aim

to determine mechanical properties of embryonic heart tissue, and in future apply these findings to develop a more

complete mechanical model of heart development.

Project Mentor: Professor Andrew Rollins, Department of Biomedical Engineering

♦♦♦

The Role of Mechanical Stimuli in Inflammation-Associated Malignancies

Darby Kreienberg, Biology major, Samaneh K. Sarvestani, Department of Stem Cell Biology CCF, Robert Fisher,

Department of Stem Cell Biology CCF, Emina Huang, Department of Stem Cell Biology CCF

Colitis-Associated Cancer (CAC) of the colon is a devastating consequence of the chronic inflammatory

bowel disease (IBD) called ulcerative colitis (UC). About a million Americans have UC, and their risk factor for

developing CAC is as high as 18% by 20 years, thus 3- to 5-fold higher than the rate of sporadic colorectal cancer in

the general population. Multiple episodes of acute inflammation and bleeding in the patients with UC result in a

commonly observed complication, fibrosis. Fibrosis comes with the alterations of extracellular matrix (ECM)

stiffness as a response to a combination of the mechano-sensing pathways including the Hippo pathway. The

dominant transcription factor in this pathway includes Yap1. Previous challenges to the advances in the field include

the absence of 3D, human-derived, in vitro or in vivo models.

This research took advantage of the recent advances in stem cell biology to perpetuate induced human

intestinal organoids (iHIOs) from non-IBD and UC colon. The organoids were placed into hydrogel matrices of

varying moduli to study the effect of matrix stiffness on both non-IBD and UC organoids. Experiments have shown

that UC iHIOs compared to non-IBD iHIOs reveal colitic features and biological functions. Additionally, iHIOs are

responsive to the mechanical stimuli in terms of the growth and malignant morphology. These are important

discoveries when determining if iHIOs with the optimal range of microenvironmental stiffness may be applied as an

improved in vitro and in vivo model to investigate the effects of various disease mediators in the formed non-IBD

and UC colon.

Project Mentor: Dr. Emina Huang, Department of Stem Cell Biology CCF

Faculty Sponsor: Professor Richard Drushel, Department of Biology


Ketamine rapidly increases mature dendritic spine density on excitatory cortical neurons in a mouse model of

Rett Syndrome.

Saloni Lad, Cognitive Science and Biology

Project Contributors: C. James Howell, Department of Neurosciences; Anmol Gupta, Samichhya Aryal; Karthik

Ravichandran; Fatimah Abouelsoud; David M. Katz, Department of Neurosciences

Rett syndrome (RTT) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by loss-of-function mutations in the X-

linked gene encoding the methyl CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2), a master regulator of transcription. Common

features of RTT include loss of motor skills, respiratory dysregulation, and cognitive deficits (Katz et al. 2012). The

Mecp2 mutant mouse model recapitulates many phenotypes of the human disorder, including respiratory

abnormalities and dendritic spine reductions (Katz et al. 2012). The medial pre-frontal cortex (mPFC) is of

particular interest given its importance in cognitive, behavioral, and physiological functions that are disrupted in

RTT (Katz et al. 2016). The mPFC of Mecp2 mutant mice demonstrates reduced neuronal activity and reduced

excitatory synaptic connectivity associated with a reduction in postsynaptic spine density on excitatory pyramidal

neurons (Kron et al. 2012; Sceniak et al. 2015). This study was designed to determine 1) which specific dendritic

domain(s) of the excitatory pyramidal neuron are affected by Mecp2 mutations and 2) the effect of low-dose

ketamine, an NMDA receptor antagonist and potential RTT therapeutic, on dendritic spine density in the mPFC. To

answer these questions, dendritic spine morphology was compared among wildtype and Mecp2 mutant mice treated

with saline or ketamine. Our results demonstrate that Mecp2 mutant mice exhibit a deficit in mature dendritic spine

density on the oblique branches of pyramidal neurons. These deficits are reversed twenty-four hours following

single or repeated intermittent treatment with a low, sub-anesthetic dose of ketamine. Within 72 hours after

treatment, spine density returns to baseline values. Our finding that low-dose ketamine can reverse structural

synaptic defects caused by MeCP2 deficiency supports the therapeutic potential of ketamine for the treatment of

RTT.

Project Mentor: Dr. David M. Katz, Department of Neurosciences


Using Crowd-Sourcing to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Visual Biofeedback Speech

Treatment

Xiguang Liu, Department of Psychological Science; Dr. Jennell Vick, Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center; Dr.

Rebecca Mental, Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center; and Dr. Gregory Lee, Department of Electrical Engineering

& Computer Science

INTRODUCTION: Errors on, the North American English /r/, are the most common errors to persist into

later childhood and adulthood. Inidividuals who are over 8 years of age and still present with /r/errors are considered

to have Residual Speech Errors (RSEs), and about 5% school-aged children and 1-2 % adults are affected both

socially and academically by errors (Byun & Preston, 2015; Flipsen & Sacks, 2015; Flipsen & Sacks, 2015).

OBJECTIVES: Mental (2018) found that after treatment with the visual biofeedback software Opti-

Speech, variants of /r/, improved in single words. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the treatment

effect of Opti-Speech on /r/ sound in more complex contexts, from word to sentence.

METHODS: 12 participants with RSEs with errors on /r/ sound participated in 10 sessions of Opti-Speech

treatment. Their /r/ pronunciations in words, phrases, and sentences from the Entire World of R (EWOR-AS; Say It

Right, 2006) were recorded before, immediately after the completion of treatment, and two months after the

completion of treatment. These productions were later evaluated by 10 naïve listeners per context per participant

recruited through the crowd-sourcing platform, Amazon Mechanical Turk (AMT). Full data set was later ipsatized

and tested in Matlab and R.

Results: Ipsatization reveals the trimodal distribution of the data with three peaks for each treatment

sessions. A two-way ANOVA test, and a Tukey multiple comparison test had been performed through R, which

revealed the significant evaluation score difference between each treatment session, but neither between each

participant nor between each word usage.

Conclusion: These results support the hypothesis that Opti-Speech is an effective treatment of /r/ sound

RSEs patients, as significant improvement in the target sound was observed in word, phrase, and sentence. Later

comparative studies of Opti-Speech treatment effectiveness on other persisting RSEs sounds could lead to better

understanding of this newly developed visual biofeedback treatment.

Project Mentor: Dr. Jennell Vick, Psychological Sciences, Cleveland Hearing and Speech Center


Socialization and Academic Achievement Attained Through Youth Sports

Jason Lockamy, Psychological Sciences

Children in America have an abundance of free time at their disposal after school hours. Much of this time

is spent engaging in leisurely activities like watching television or other less stimulating activities. Engagement in

sports separates itself from both school and leisurely activities. Sports are not a required task like school but they do

stimulate the brain, unlike leisure. This provides the ideal environment for active engagement. It is common for kids

to play sports or a sport, not only to pass the time but also to learn to engage with other people similar in age.

However, for some kids, these options are not available to them. Approximately 19 percent of youth in America are

living their lives below the poverty line, unable to access resources required to lead relatively successful, even

‘normal’, lives. For many years, studies have shown that underprivileged children are at risk of early introductions

to the illicit natures of lives full of drugs, crime and other negative influences. It is universally recognized across all

disciplines that youth involved in out-of-school activities are less likely to engage in negative behaviors like alcohol

and drugs at an early age due to structured programming. Research evidence suggests that sports are a constructive

means for young people to utilize time to invest in the social skills that contribute to human capital (Hermens,

Verkooijen & Koelen, 2018). Should funding be provided to some of these impoverished areas in America, small

sports programs can be created and provide outlets for these children. The hope then, for these children, would be

that the implicit attitudes and lessons they are introduced to during their time playing sports translates to school and

life overall, as they contribute to breaking the cycle of poverty.


Super, Sabina, Niels Hermens, Kirsten Verkooijen, and Maria Koelen. “Examining the Relationship between Sports

Participation and Youth Developmental Outcomes for Socially Vulnerable Youth.” Bmc Public Health 18 (August

15, 2018): 1012. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5955-y.

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5955-y

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-018-5955-y


Multi-parametric MRI of Kidney Disease Progression in a Mouse Model of Autosomal Recessive Polycystic

Kidney Disease (ARPKD)

Christina J. MacAskill, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Bernadette O. Erokwu, Department of Radiology;

Yifan Zhang, Department of Radiology; Samantha L. Rodriguez, Department of Biology; Christian E. Anderson,

Department of Biomedical Engineering and Radiology; Suraj Serai, Department of Radiology, Children’s Hospital

of Philadelphia; Erum A. Hartung, Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; Oliver Wesseley,

Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Lerner Research Institute; Katherine M. Dell, Department of

Pediatrics, Center for Pediatric Nephrology at Cleveland Clinic Children’s, CWRU Center for Kidney Research at

The MetroHealth System; Chris A. Flask, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Radiology and Pediatrics

Autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disorder (ARPKD) is a rare but lethal genetic disorder characterized

by diffuse renal microcysts.1,2 While new therapeutics are being developed for similar diseases, clinical trials for

ARPKD patients are not currently possible due to the absence of sensitive measures of ARPKD kidney disease

progression and/or therapeutic efficacy.1 In this initial study, multiple, translational, and quantitative MRI

techniques (T1 and T2 relaxation times and Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC)) were evaluated for their

sensitivity to detect ARPKD progression by comparing these MRI metrics in the bpk mouse model of ARPKD that

closely mimics human disease.3–5 Quantitative T1, T2, and ADC maps were obtained for the excised kidneys from

bpk mice (n=8) and wild type (WT) control mice (n=8) on a Bruker Biospec 7.0T MRI scanner. For both groups,

kidneys were scanned excised at ages of 8, 14, and 21 days of age for this rapidly progressing disease model. T1,

T2, and ADC data were acquired using conventional spin echo MRI acquisitions with varying diffusion weightings

(b-values), repetition time (TR), and echo times (TE), respectively.6–8 All MRI maps were reconstructed using least-

squares fits to established mono-exponential models.6,9,10 A region-of-interest (ROI) analysis was used to calculated

mean kidney T1, T2, and ADC values for each animal’s kidney. Mean T1, T2, and ADC values for the bpk mouse

kidneys were all significantly increased in comparison to the kidneys from WT control mice (p<0.002). A

significant linear correlation was also observed between mean kidney T2 for the bpk mice as a function of volume

(R=0.84, p = 0.009) and age (R = 0.97, p = 0.00007). No significant correlations were observed for either T1 or

ADC (p > 0.17). These initial ex vivo MRI studies suggest that renal T2 relaxometry may be a viable marker for

ARPKD kidney disease progression.

Project Mentor: Chris A. Flask, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Radiology and Pediatrics


On the Road to Sports Medicine: Meta Analyses Driven Device Specification

Samantha Magliato, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Dhruv Seshadri, Department of Biomedical

Engineering; James Voos, University Hospitals Sports Medicine Institute; and Colin Drummond, Department of


Over the last decade, there has been an expansion and development of wearable technology within the field

of sports medicine to monitor human performance. The recent technology drive has enabled the application of

biomechanical, biovital, and biochemical monitoring of athletes in real time to help guide clinical decision-making

via the translation of the acquired data into actionable protocols for team physicians and athletic trainers.

Quantitative analysis of biometric sensor data has shown promise in the field of sports medicine to drive patient

specific recovery and rehabilitation protocols to maximize performance while minimizing the risk of injury. The

recent emergence of technology in this direction makes it an exciting area for research. From our perspective, over-

engineering of biomedical sensors has drastically limited their clinical utility. Thus, to circumvent such

inefficiencies and develop technologies to complete the bench to bedside paradigm, we sought to assess the utility of

current wearable devices and identify critical path elements to enable such translation. Thus, the objective of our

team-centered work is two-fold: 1) build collaborative relationships with key opinion leaders in the sports- medicine

field and 2) develop testable hypotheses leveraging emerging IOT technology utilizing our expertise in materials

science, big data, and engineering. Work disseminated from this abstract has resulted in the emergence of projects

reflecting our team-centered approach utilizing wearable sensors for sports medicine, cardiology, and emergency

medicine. In short, this work builds upon our unique collaboration with the University Hospital Sports Medicine

Institute to developed crosscutting application thrusts.

Project Mentor: Professor Colin Drummond, Department of Biomedical Engineering

♦♦♦

ARRL Newsfeed Decoder and Display

Caleb Main, Electrical Engineering; Benjamin March, Electrical Engineering; Benjamin Robinson, Electrical

Engineering; David Kazdan, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

The Case Western Reserve University Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science lacks

an interesting display with which to hook students and touring university guests into exploring a career in electrical

engineering. Currently, there exists only static displays outside the Sears Lab in the Glennan building. This project

aims to solve that problem by producing an electronic display that shows interested readers news bulletins from the

American Radio Relay League station (ARRL). To achieve this, we have researched the signal encoding types

ARRL uses to send its bulletins. These include binary phase shift keying (BPSK), multiple frequency shift keying

(MFSK), and the Baudot teletype. Once these signals are received by our antenna, they run through a software

defined radio which converts the analog signal into a digital one. To work with this digital signal, we have

researched different tools and methods of manipulating a radio signal. We have decided to utilize a software tool

called Fldigi which was designed specifically to allow a computer to be used as a two way radio. This software, in

combination with a python module named pyFldigi, allows for us to automate the process of setting up Fldigi,

receiving the signal, and saving the received message. After the signal is saved, we have developed python scripts to

clean the message of any potential errors caused by noise in the signal. Then the scripts display the corrected

message. Once completed, the Sears Lab display case will have a dynamic exhibit showing the newsfeed

broadcasted by the ARRL station. It will additionally show educational information explaining the process of signal

encoding. This will provide interested parties with a visible application of an education in electrical engineering.

Project Mentor: Dr. David Kazdan, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science


Medical Marijuana: Is it Doing More Harm than Good?

Jodie Makara, Department of Chemistry

Pot, Weed, Reefer, Dope, and Stinkweed: a handful of names from a very long list, none of which refer to a

more professional view of the Asian plant strongly debated for its growing use in the medical field. Cannabinoids,

derived from hemp or cannabis, are the active chemical compounds found in marijuana. This literature review

analyzes tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in marijuana, to break down the chemical reactions that

occur when administered in the body. This review compares the chemical differences in marijuana when used

medically versus recreationally to examine the cost: benefit ratio. As a growing choice of treatment for chronic

illnesses, marijuana has a growing reputation of being harmless. However, various social and physical problems,

like impaired perception and judgment, raise the question of how safe and beneficial cannabinoids are in the medical

field.

Project Mentor: Professor Rekha Srinivasan, Department of Chemistry

♦♦♦

Flow cytometry analysis of inflammatory cells isolated from the sciatic nerve and DRG after chronic

constriction injury in mice

Charvi Malhotra, Department of Neuroscience; Dr. Jianguo Cheng, Department of Neuroscience; Liping Liu,

Department of Neuroscience

Cellular responses to nerve injury play a central role in the pathogenesis of neuropathic pain. However, the

analysis of site specific cellular responses to nerve injury and neuropathic pain is limited to immunohistochemistry

staining with numerous limitations. We proposed to apply flow cytometry to overcome some of the limitations and

developed two protocols for isolation of cells from small specimens of the sciatic nerve and dorsal root ganglion

(DRG) in mice. We found that both the non-enzymatic and enzymatic approaches were highly effective in

harvesting a sufficient number of cells for flow cytometry analysis in normal and pathological conditions. The total

number of cells in the injury site of the sciatic and its DRGs increased significantly 14 days after chronic

constriction injury (CCI) of the sciatic nerve, compared to sham surgery control or the contralateral control. The

enzymatic approach yielded a significantly higher total number of cells and CD45 negative cells, suggesting that this

approach allows for harvest of more resident cells, compared to the non-enzymatic method. The percentage of

CD45+/CD11b+ cells was significantly increased in the sciatic nerve but not in the DRG. These results were

consistent with both protocols. We thus offer two simple and effective protocols that allow for application of flow

cytometry to the investigation of cellular and molecular mechanisms of neuropathic pain.

Project Mentor: Dr. Jianguo Cheng, Department of Neuroscience, CCLCM


Drink Beyond the Possible using Django

Kavan Mally, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Kaius Reed, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Toshiki Nazikian, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Drink Beyond the Possible is a web application that provides the users with a list of mixed alcoholic drinks

based on the ingredients you give it. The name is a play on words for the university’s motto of Think Beyond the

Possible. Our application runs on a Django framework and is hosted on Amazon’s servers. We’ve configured

Amazon’s server to run as an Nginx server, which is used as a production web server. Our project utilizes account

management to save the user’s ingredients and favorite drinks. We also incorporated a social system to further

encourage development of mixology skills such as a comment system on drinks and a tagging system to associate

traits of the drink such as bitterness or sweetness.


♦♦♦

Mixing Technique with an Additive Allows for Optimal Refillable Bone Cement Drug Delivery System

Dylan W. Marques, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Erika L. Cyphert, Department of Biomedical

Engineering; Greg D. Learn, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Chao-yi Lu, Department of Biomedical

Engineering

The use of bone cement in orthopedic surgery is common practice with more than 50% of arthroplasties

utilizing PMMA bone cement. In previous studies we have explored the use of a drug delivery system made from

polymer microparticles of cyclodextrin (CD), which uses molecular "pockets" to load and release drug. In surgical

settings bone cement is mixed by hand or in a vacuum chamber. Additives, such as CD microparticles, and mixing

technique effect the mechanical properties and drug refilling of the bone cement. In order to observe the effects of

these additives we have quantified different aspects of the cement including depth of refilling, compressive strength,

interfacial shear strength, and porosity. Samples were analyzed for diffusive properties, mechanical strength, and

porosity using stereomicroscope, compression loading and micro-computed tomography respectively. Samples were

tested in two conditions dependent on the mixing technique (hand mixed vs. vacuum mixed), in groups with

increasing amounts of CD microparticles (5, 10, or 15wt%), resulting in 6 different testing groups. We found strong

correlations between amount of CD and diffusion depth as well as mixing type and pore volume. Concurrent

analysis of mechanical strength and refilling properties of cylinders prepared with different amounts of CD

microparticles and mixing techniques allows for the confirmation that cement has the necessary strength for clinical

use while exploring its refilling capacity. Thus, allowing for the optimization of synthesis parameters for the

eventual development of a “refillable” antibiotic bone cement delivery system for treatment of chronic or hard-to-

treat infections.

Project Mentor: Horst A. von Recum, Department of Biomedical Engineering


Familial Adenomatous Polyposis: Genetic Background and Clinical Considerations

Kaitlin McCormick, Department of Biology; Dr. Audrey Lynn, Department of Biology and University Hospitals

Center for Human Genetics

Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP) is an inherited type of colorectal cancer that is caused by a

mutation in the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene. My research involved an in-depth literature review of FAP,

with a focus on the underlying genetic mechanism, the clinical presentation, available treatment options, and new

areas of research. The APC gene is involved in regulating the Wnt signaling pathway, which is a biological pathway

that plays a crucial role in cell development and tissue regeneration. A mutated APC gene is unable to properly

regulate -catenin, which is the protein responsible for transducing a signal to the cell nucleus directing it to

transcribe Wnt-specific genes. When -catenin is not degraded properly, unregulated transcription of the target

genes results in uncontrolled cell proliferation and tumorigenic transformation. The clinical presentation of FAP is

marked by the presence of hundreds to thousands of adenomatous polyps in the lining of the colon that develop in

adolescence. Without intervention, adenomatous polyps inevitably become cancerous. Thus, early intervention and

treatment is critical for disease outcomes, and methods include colon resection surgery and early screening via

colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy. FAP has many accompanying disease variants that range in severity, the most

prominent being attenuated familial adenomatous polyposis wherein affected individuals develop only 10-100

adenomatous polyps, which are less likely to develop into colon cancer when compared with FAP polyps (~70%

compared with ~100%). Innovations in treatment are ongoing and include advances in chemoprevention (drug

therapy) and immunotherapy. Of particular interest is the use of monoclonal antibodies to allow the immune system

to recognize cancer cells as foreign and boost the response against them. Research into this disease is important to

raise awareness about the condition, encourage genetic testing among affected families, and provide information

about the importance of colon cancer screening.

Project Mentor: Dr. Audrey Lynn, Department of Biology and University Hospitals Center for Human Genetics

Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Jessica Fox, Department of Biology


Evaluating the Effects of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles in the Growth, Biomass, and Chlorophyll Production of

Garden Cress (Lepidium sativum)

Ariel McWhorter; Nutritional Biochemistry and Metabolism, Department of Chemistry; Monica Navarreto-Lugo,

Department of Chemistry; Minseon Ju, Department of Chemistry; Anna Cristina S. Samia*; Department of

Chemistry

The remediation of iron deficiency in plants has been a centripetal agronomic issue for many decades. Iron

deficiency has proven to be a major factor of chlorosis, as well as having a direct negative effect on plant growth.

This issue has been addressed by the incorporation of chelated Fe as fertilizers. Unfortunately, incorrect or over

application of fertilizers under aerobic conditions lead to the formation of damaging oxygen-based radicals within

the plant as by-products of Fenton reactions. These oxygen radicals can lead to cell death, affecting the production

of healthy crops. Recent efforts, have brought the attention to iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs), as possible

substitutes to current commercial iron fertilizer additives, with the potential of enhancing plant growth. The large

directed concentration of Fe contained within the nanoparticle structure, makes it possible to significantly decrease

the total amount of fertilizers needed, while slowing down the iron release rate for controlled iron plant uptake;

owing to the protected and stable structure afforded by optimized capping ligands. This Fe release mechanism from

engineering IONPs in turn decrease the risk for formation of damaging oxygen radical species to the plants and

associated organisms. This work focuses on the study of the effect of different sized IONPs on the phenotypic traits

of garden cress (Lepidium sativum) plants: growth, biomass and chlorophyll production. Our results showcase a

significant enhancement effect on the phenotypic traits of the garden cress plants when treated with IONPs vs the

traditional Fe-chelated fertilizers. These results suggest the potential of IONPs as fertilizer additives for the

cultivation of healthier food crops.

Project Mentor: Monica Navarreto-Lugo, Graduate Student in Chemistry

Faculty Sponsor: Professor Anna Cristina S. Samia, Chemistry

♦♦♦

Developing Antibiotic Wound Dressing through Templating with High Internal Phase Emulsions

Alexandra Meglio, Department of Chemical and Bimolecular Engineering; Kristen Rohm, Departments of

Chemical and Bimolecular Engineering & Macromolecular Science Engineering

Infection and blood loss are two major problems that affect surgical or combat wounds. There have been

many advancements in surgical procedures, sterilization techniques, antibiotics, and wound dressings to address

these problems. Despite these advances, current approaches do not meet all the requirements of an ideal would

dressing. A need exists for an easily fabricated wound dressing that can create a warm, moist environment with low

adherence to the wound while preventing infection and hemorrhaging. Polymerization of the oil phase within water-

in-oil emulsions can lead to highly porous, open-celled polymer foams that have a morphology templated by the

original emulsion. These polyHIPEs (high internal phase emulsions) can address these requirements, including high

absorption, low adherence to wound, and a simple one-pot process of fabrication. Further, polyHIPE foams can

allow drug encapsulation within the matrix and the pores to prevent infection. In this research, we tested the release

of antibiotic from polyHIPE foams. We researched the effect of different foam process conditions: shear mixing

speed, cross-linking additives, porosity, and sonication on foam properties such as drug release kinetics and

mechanical strength. Our results show that polyHIPE is a material that can absorb wound exudate along with a

sustained antibiotic release. PolyHIPE can be used to create a more ideal dressing for wound treatment.

Project Advisors: Dr. Harihara Baskaran and Dr. Donald Feke, Department of Chemical and Bimolecular

Engineering


Portable Neonatal Hypothermia Therapy Device

Eloise Miller, Biomedical Engineering; Joshua Rosenberg, Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering;

Samuel Skora, Biomedical Engineering; Dante Velasquez, Biomedical Engineering; Zhihan Wang, Biomedical

Engineering

We are currently developing a portable neonatal hypothermia therapy device to slow the progression of

brain damage in infants with hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy. Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a

potential consequence of birth asphyxia, or lack of oxygen in neonates. Perinatal asphyxia is a condition that affects

six out of one thousand live full-term births and is the third most common cause of death in neonates. HIE is

diagnosed when the brain is deprived of oxygen, resulting in brain damage. If left untreated, HIE can lead to

debilitating, lifelong disabilities such as cerebral palsy and seizures. Currently, the most effective treatment for HIE

is to induce hypothermia within six hours of birth, preferably earlier. The majority of neonatal hypothermia therapy

devices make use of water-cooling, so they are not portable in the case of an emergency. They are also only

available in select tertiary neonatal intensive care units, so babies often need to be transported between hospitals for

treatment. Since treatment is most effective when applied immediately after birth, a portable system that can induce

hypothermia in EMS trucks and LifeFlight helicopters is critical to slowing body processes early in the progression

of the condition. To eliminate the barriers to treatment, our team is developing a portable device to induce

therapeutic hypothermia without the need for a water source. The cooling system uses thermoelectric coolers and

heatsinks to regulate internal body temperature. Our device will be equipped with a battery backup so, during transit,

the device can be constantly powered. Creating a hypothermia device that is portable and more available has the

potential to increase the quality of life of neonates afflicted with HIE.

Project Mentors: Professor Colin Drummond, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Professor Matthew


♦♦♦

HIF1a-2a cerebral knockout effects on cognitive gains following environmental enrichment in mice

Viral Mistry, Department of Physiology and Biophysics; Dr. Kui Xu, Department of Physiology and Biophysics;

Alireza Abdollahifar, Department of Physiology and Biophysics; Sahej Bindra, Department of Physiology and

Biophysics

Summary: Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α & 2α (HIF1α-2α) are transcription factors critical to the

neurobiological response to hypoxia, a condition when the body is low in oxygen, by inducing short-term

vasodilation and long-term angiogenesis. Angiogenesis is also strongly related to cognitive improvements made

through environmental enrichment in mice. Since HIF1α-2α are crucial to angiogenesis, it is of interest if cerebral

knockouts for the HIF1α-2α transcription factors would prevent gains in cognitive function from environmental

enrichment. Experiments are currently underway to see how the HIF1α-2α knockout mice, which have been bred in-

house, perform on a Y-maze working memory test compared to control HIF1α-2α floxed mice prior to and after one

week of environmental enrichment. After the behavioral experiments are complete, relevant regions of the brain will

be compared for differences in capillary density, to establish quantitative differences in capillary density as it relates

to rodent activity and cognitive performance.

Project Mentor: Joseph LaManna, Ph.D, Department of Physiology and Biophysics


Tangible Individual Feedback in a Large Musical Ensemble Setting

Ryan Xie, Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering; Trino Mitra, Department of Electrical,

Computer, and Systems Engineering

Conductors and the ensemble they lead will often face problems in giving and receiving feedback, usually

seen less in other forms of pedagogy. There tends to be a lack of physical exchanges between the members and the

conductor, thus individual feedback in an ensemble is given verbally rather than through written records, meaning

that information must be remembered mentally. This will often lead to the conductor’s advice being forgotten or

ignored. Our project will create a conductor’s stand (titled Sonoro) which will record the ongoing rehearsal and

allow the conductor to send individual feedback containing small sections of the recording via email so that any

advice given by the conductor is digitally recorded. It is our hope that this project will further reduce the strain on an

ensemble's ability to improve and refine overall sound by developing an electronic conductor's stand using a

Raspberry Pi as the heart. By connecting the Raspberry Pi to a microphone array, a touchscreen, and a physical

keyboard, we will fashion the Raspberry Pi into a powerful audio processing station featuring a simplistic graphical

user interface to interact with the recording and send clips of the recording through email. By doing so, the ensemble

members will then have a tangible record of the material the conductor has requested them to improve in addition to

a short, typed note from the conductor that addresses the section.

Project Mentor: Professor David Kazdan, Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering Project

Sponsor: Professor Gregory Lee, Department of Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering

♦♦♦

Effects of the Intestinal Microbiome on Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

Elizabeth Molnar, Department of Biology

Osteoporosis is a metabolic disease in which the structural integrity of the bone is compromised, leading to

an increased risk of fracture. Postmenopausal women are at particularly high risk for developing osteoporosis due to

decreased estrogen levels. Due to severe complications and morbidity of this disease, prevention and treatment of

postmenopausal osteoporosis are highly-researched topics. Current treatment for those with the disease and

prevention for high-risk individuals includes hormone replacement therapy. While short-term hormone replacement

therapy is safe, long-term use is associated with increased risk of endometrial cancer, breast cancer, cardiovascular

disease, blood clots, and inflammatory biomarkers. Furthermore, due to preexisting health conditions or history of

disease, women may be ineligible for hormone replacement therapy. Recent research has investigated the role of the

intestinal microbiome on osteoporosis. Studies in postmenopausal rodent models and postmenopausal women have

shown that the intestinal microbiome can affect various bone parameters that may cause osteoporosis. The first part

of this review will focus on findings in studies conducted using postmenopausal rodent models and postmenopausal

women. The second part will investigate potential mechanisms underlying the effects of the intestinal microbiome

on bone parameters, specific to estrogen-depleted individuals. The goal of this review is to make a case for the

intestinal microbiome’s regulatory role in bone health in order to move closer to understanding how this system can

be manipulated for the treatment and prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Project Mentor: Dr. Leena Chakravarty, Department of Biology


Tuberculosis Meta-Analysis: The Role of IFN-𝛄

Deepika Narayanan, B.S. Candidate Nutritional Biochemistry & Metabolism; Bonnie Thiel, Tuberculosis Research

Unit; Dr. Gurkan Bebek, Department of Nutrition

The immune system consists of many cell types, an important one being macrophages or differentiated

forms of monocytes found in specific tissues known to play a role at sites of infection. It is known that there are two

types of macrophage activation: M1 and M2 activation. M2 activation seemingly antagonizes inflammatory

response associated with the Th2 cell type and cytokine IL-4. M1 activation deals with a pro-inflammatory response

associated with the Th1 cell type with the primary cytokine being interferon-gamma, IFN-𝛄. IFN-𝛄 plays a

protective role in the prevention of tuberculosis infection, but there has been recent findings that suggest an IFN-𝛄-

independent mode of protection. Previous differential gene expression data gathered for IFN-𝛄 stimulated

monocytes served as a good starting point to analyze the effect of IFN-𝛄 on gene expression. Using previous

research, five gene lists were created with Type I interferon genes, Type II interferon genes, Type I (minus the

overlap with Type II), Type II (minus the overlap with Type I), and Similarly Expressed (the overlap between Type

I and Type II). GSEA was used to analyze the enrichment between the previously collected DGE and the created

gene lists. A positive enrichment was obtained in all cases. After completed a leading edge analysis, the IFN-𝛄

specific genes were able to be isolated. Next, a differential gene expression analysis was completed for human

tuberculosis data of latent and active TB patients to be analyzed with these IFN-𝛄-dependent genes first and then the

IFN-𝛄-independent gene lists to see enrichment in either. Assessing this enrichment will show the possible

protection of IFN-𝛄-independent pathways in tuberculosis protection. Further studies would involve validating these

results through various other bio-statistical approaches.

Project Mentor: Dr. Gurkan Bebek, Department of Nutrition/ Center for Proteomics and Bioinformatics

♦♦♦

Examining HIV Risk Behaviors in Johannesburg, South Africa

Jennifer Nielsen, Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences

South Africa has one of the highest prevalence rates of HIV in the world. The history of HIV in South

Africa is intimately linked to the history of the apartheid in South Africa. During apartheid, citizens were

geographically, economically, and socially separated based on the color of their skin, creating vast inequality and

forcing black South Africans into overcrowded, poor slums were HIV could fester. This research looks at how this

history has impacted the current state of HIV in South Africa. We administered a community survey in 3

neighborhoods within Johannesburg- Soweto, Alexandra, and the Central Business District. Each of the areas were

impacted uniquely under apartheid and have changed rapidly since the end of the regime 20 years ago. The survey

contained questions regarding basic demographics, living standards, neighborhood cohesion characteristics, HIV

testing history, and HIV risk behaviors (including multiple sexual partners and condom usage). Our results indicate

that risk behaviors are still a significant problem in each of the three neighborhoods but impacts Alexandra most

acutely. Further research needs to be completed to determine what the barriers are to behavior change in these areas.

Project Mentor: Professor Peter ZImmerman, PhD, Center for Global Health and Diseases


Reducing Cortical Seizures with Low Frequency Stimulation in The Rodent Brain In-Vitro

Nrupen Pakalapati, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Rajat Shivacharan, Department of Biomedical

Engineering, Nicholas Courtier, Department of Biomedical Engineering and Dr. Dominique Durand, Department of


Summary and Background

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder that causes patients to experience recurrent seizures accompanied by

symptoms that range in severity; on the mild end of the spectrum patients may experience epilepsy with auras but in

more severe cases, patients may experience complete loss of consciousness. Current methods of reducing seizures

such as therapeutic drugs and vagus nerve stimulation are partially effective. About 40% of patients taking the

relevant therapeutic drugs are afforded complete control over their seizures. Additionally, 50% of patients who

received vagus nerve stimulation over the course of three years were able to gain complete control over their

seizures. Even with the success of current methods reducing epileptic events, the discovery of potential alternatives

is crucial to provide relief to those who are still suffering.

In-vivo experiments conducted in the cortex of rats show that low frequency stimulation (1-30 Hz) reduces

cortical seizures by almost 90%. This is almost twice as effective as conventional methods of reducing seizures.

However, in-vivo experiments leave some questions unanswered. What is mechanism of stimulation that reduces

seizures? What is the exact stimulation paradigm to obtain maximum seizure reduction? To answer these questions,

in-vitro studies need to be conducted in order to completely understand the effectiveness of low frequency

stimulation. Doing so will obtain information that will be assist in the creation of medical device that has a higher

effectiveness in reducing seizures.

Project Mentor: Dr Dominique Durand, Department of Biomedical Engineering

♦♦♦

The Influence of the Chemist in the Current Opioid Crisis: An Exploration of their Influence on the Causes,

Recovery Measures and Prevention

Nicholas Pallas, Department of Chemistry

Much of the United States has experienced a sharp rise in the illicit use of opioid medications and

subsequent dependence associated with their long-term use. With the ever-present role of chemistry in developing

new medications, there exists some role in the discipline for working to combat the issues presented by the

widespread use of this class of drugs. This review serves to look at the issues caused by use of the current classes of

opioid medications and causes of the current state of the crisis, as well as the role of the chemist in working to

combat the problem. The data explored in this review serves to explain the advancements in chronic pain treatment

made through the development and exploration of new classes of drugs that can either act on different opioid

receptors in the brain or work in tandem with current drugs to reduce the addictive potential of the current drugs

used. This review also explores other chemical pain treatment methods and their potential effects in widespread

chronic use. Also explored are future chemical developments that can work at quelling the widespread use of opioid

medications.

Project Mentor: Professor Rekha Srinivasan, Department of Chemistry


Role of TSP-1 in regulation of inflammation in adipose tissue

Anjlee Panjwani, Department of Biology; Dr. Olga Stenina-Adognravi, Department of Molecular Cardiology,

Cleveland Clinic Foundation

Insulin is a peptide hormone important for the regulation of fuel storage in adipose tissue, skeletal muscle,

and the liver. When desensitization of the insulin receptors occurs, insulin resistance (IR) develops. Without insulin

to control the normal metabolic processes, AT begins to release free fatty acids (FFA) and inflammatory cytokines,

which further impair the signaling of insulin. As AT contributes to the progression of inflammation, the metabolic

syndrome occurs. The metabolic syndrome is involved in a cluster of symptoms, such as increased blood pressure,

increased blood sugar, and abnormal triglyceride levels, which increase risk for vascular complications such as

stroke, cardiovascular disease, diabetic nephropathy and diabetic retinopathy. In adipose tissue with IR,

thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) is also overexpressed. TSP-1 is an extracellular matrix (ECM) glycoprotein. Among its

many roles, TSP-1 acts as an anti-inflammatory protein and an activator for transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ).

TGFβ, involved in fibrosis, also acts as an anti-inflammatory protein. Evidence shows that in TSP deficient mice

treated with a high fat diet were protected from IR and inflammation. This indicates that TSP-1 plays a role in

suppression of IR and secretion of inflammatory cytokines. Understanding the mechanisms by which IR is caused is

important to maintain delivery of glucose throughout the body and prevent diabetic complications. In this paper, we

examine the role that TSP-1 plays in regulating inflammation in adipose tissue with insulin resistance.

Project Mentor: Dr. Olga Stenina-Adognravi, Department of Molecular Cardiology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation

Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Sarah Diamond, Department of Biology

♦♦♦

Characterize Cells Showing Conditioning Lesion Effect in Axon Regeneration Using TrkC, TH, NF200, and

Parvalbumin Markers

Sanika Paranjape, Department of Biology and Department of Cognitive Science; Jeong Seo, Department of

Neurosciences; Richard Zigmond, Department of Neurosciences

The central nervous system (CNS) exhibits minimal axonal regeneration because mature adult CNS

neurons have a very low growth capacity. However, in the peripheral nervous system, axons have the ability to

regenerate after damage more easily. If a conditioning lesion is performed before an injury in the peripheral axons of

dorsal root ganglion (DRG), that regeneration ability is improved and there is a greater growth capacity. The

conditioning lesion effect is seen when previously injured neurons have an increased ability for new axonal growth

compared to neurons that have not been injured before. Our study aims to differentiate between and characterize the

cells that display this conditioning lesion effect versus those that do not. To do so, we tested markers such as

tropomyosin-related kinase C (TrkC), tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), neurofilament 200 (NF200), and parvalbumin,

which are each known to characterize subpopulations of sensory DRG neurons. Through immunocytochemical

staining and imaging, we analyzed the data by observing cell staining and measuring neurite growth. In the future,

this research can hopefully be used to increase axonal regeneration in the peripheral nervous system, and ultimately

in the central nervous system as well.

Project Mentor: Richard Zigmond PhD, Department of Neurosciences


Regulation of Cytokine Production by TLR2 Engagement on CD4+ T Cells in a Murine Model

Kyle Parker, B.S. Biology Candidate; Scott M. Reba, Division of Infectious Diseases and HIV Research; Dr. W.

Henry Boom, Division of Infectious Diseases and HIV Research

Tuberculosis (TB), a respiratory disease infecting approximately one-third of the world’s population, is

caused by infection with the bacterium Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). Immune cells, specifically CD4+ T

cells, are crucial in the immune response to TB infection. Prior work has demonstrated that CD4+ T cells express a

receptor known as Toll-Like Receptor 2 (TLR2), able to recognize MTB ligands. Co-stimulation of the TLR2

receptor via bacterial ligands has been shown to lead to more effective immune control of infection. In this study,

the mechanism underlying the effects of TLR2 co-stimulation on CD4+ T cells was studied. More specifically, the

regulation of two key cytokines, or immune signaling molecules, Interleukin-10 (IL-10) and Interferon- (IFN-),

was compared across three different conditions: a wild-type mouse with normal TLR2 expression on CD4+ T cells,

a genetically-engineered conditional knockout mouse lacking TLR2 on its CD4+ T cells, and a control mouse with

partial genetic modification but normal TLR2 expression. Stimulated and unstimulated cytokine production was

quantified via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). Results indicated that production of both IFN- at 48

hours and IL-10 at 72 hours within the wild-type and control groups increased in a dose-dependent manner with

increasing amounts of TLR2 ligand Pam3CysKKKK (P3CK4). However, the same effect was absent from the

conditional knockout model. These results imply that the production of both these cytokines by CD4+ T cells is co-

regulated by TLR2 co-stimulation. Thus, this project provides evidence that TLR2 co-stimulation on CD4+ T cells

regulates MTB infection by means of increased expression of IL-10 and IFN- at differing time points.

Project Mentor: Dr. W. Henry Boom, Division of Infectious Diseases and HIV Research

♦♦♦

Sensitivity of kiloton-scale directional detector to CNO-cycle solar neutrinos

Nicholas Parrilla, Department of Physics

In order to study elusive physics processes and particles such as proton decay and neutrinos, modern large

scale physics projects propose construction of underground, low background sites for kiloton / megaton sized

particle detectors. These enterprises accumulate cost, requiring expensive excavation and highly pressurized mining

environments that are dangerous for manned construction projects. Newly proposed low-cost experiments consider

solution based mining in salt caverns as an economical alternative, which would provide same quality physics

experiments at a fraction of the cost. The solar neutrino detection capabilities of a salt cavern-based detector were

tested using Geant4 particle physics simulation software. This detector, 16 m in diameter, 65 m in height, and placed

in a salt cavern salt-water brine solution, utilizes a 100 bar Ne gas enclosed in an inflatable polymer encapsulant as a

photodetector for scintillation. The simulation records electron and photon energy deposition in the detector and

provides tracking capabilities, allowing simulation of the expected background signal, dominated by 40K beta and

gamma decays. The significance of this project is a gained understanding of the testing environment of the proposed

detector and realization of the ideal detector design given this environment for the purpose of detecting CNO-cycle

solar neutrinos.

Project Mentor: Benjamin Monreal, Department of Physics

Faculty Sponsor: Rolfe Petschek, Department of Physics


Degradation of perfluoroalkyl compounds by interfacial reactions between a non-equilibrium plasma and

water

Kevin Pataroque, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; Ryan Hawtof, Department of Chemical

and Biomolecular Engineering, Christine Duval, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, R. Mohan

Sankaran, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Perfluoroalkyl compounds such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) are attractive because of their chemical

inertness and are found in diverse applications such as firefighting foam for inflammability or fast food wrapping to

prevent grease leakage. Unfortunately, this inertness has led to the persistence of these compounds in the

environment when improperly disposed, which, through human exposure, can cause liver damage. Conventional

wastewater treatment methods have thus far failed to degrade PFOA. Recently, advanced oxidation processes

(AOPS) have been studied. However, these techniques are energy-inefficient and/or produce toxic byproducts.

Plasmas are electrical discharges in gases including air that are a source of ultraviolet radiation, electrons, ions, and

other non-equilibrium species. The potential for producing oxidative species such as ozone has in particular made

systems comprising plasmas an emerging solution to water treatment. As compared to AOPS, plasmas can be low-

energy and cost-efficient and, critically, produce radicals in situ, eliminating the need for additional chemicals or

catalysts.

In this project, we designed and studied a non-equilibrium plasma formed at the surface of a liquid

solutions containing perfluoroalkyl compounds such as PFOA. The degradation of PFOA was measured by the

released fluorine ions using an ion-selective probe. Our preliminary results showed that the PFOA was degraded

increasingly with time reaching a maximum of 29%. To understand the mechanism for degradation, we developed a

control involving radical species generated from hydrogen peroxide by an iron catalyzed reaction.

Project Mentors: Professor Christine Duval, Department of Chemical Engineering; Professor R. Mohan Sankaran,

Department of Chemical Engineering

♦♦♦

W8EDU Lunar Antenna Control

Brian Rupp, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Jordan Pfaff, Department of Electrical

Engineering and Computer Science; Joshua Rosenberg, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer

Science

W8EDU is CWRU’s amateur radio station operating on the roof of Glennan building. The station’s current

setup utilizes a 2-meter antenna to broadcast signals that can be reflected off of the moon for Earth-Moon-Earth

communications (EME). However, in order to maintain alignment with the moon as it traverses its path, station

operators must make manual corrections to the orientation of the antenna. Due to the current antenna configuration

of the ham station, it is difficult to determine the direction of the antenna and to make accurate, granular adjustments

manually. This research project is concerned with providing the W8EDU station with a system that will

automatically track the moon’s path using ephemeris data. A Raspberry Pi is implemented and used to run a

predetermined algorithm. The Pi is connected to the station’s Yaesu G-5500 rotator controller in order to direct the

antenna towards the moon, or in the case of a jog command, in the direction desired by the station operator. A

camera is attached to the antenna to provide visual feedback of the antenna’s orientation directly back to the

Raspberry Pi UI. This system tracks the moon along its path is above the horizon and will eventually become a

permanent part of the ham station to allow for easy EME long-distance communication.

Project Mentor(s): Dr. David Kazdan, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Instructor

John Gibbons, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science


Thermal Capabilities for Miniaturized Multiple Motor Driver Board

Alexander Pietros, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Motors currents can be considerably large depending on the application. These high currents produce a lot

of heat energy, which in turn can mean disaster for a small high density printed circuit board. The situation in which

motor currents can spike due to motor failure, stall, present themselves as benchmarks for how resistant one’s

printed circuit board should be. Thus, thermal management becomes a critical aspect of any motor control design

confronting the serious risk of thermal failure. Orbital Research Inc. wanted to develop a miniaturized printed circuit

board capable of mimicking the output of four motor drivers for the purpose of determining the thermal capabilities

of a high component density motor control module. The reasoning was to demonstrate electrical survivability, even

under extended worst-case scenarios — complete and sustained motor stall. The essence of the test was to perform

basic I/O manipulations to the motor drivers to create a simulated stall scenario and record the expected temperature

increase of the drivers and “motors” in the form of equivalent resistors by means of thermocouples. This project

represented a verification of the analytically determined temperature span that Orbital Research found previously.

Not necessarily intended for industrial competition as this was an endeavor to provide physical proof of an already

simulated result. As for alternatives, the only alternative would have been to trust the aforementioned data set

without conducting a live test.

Project Mentor: Tony Opperman, Lead Mechanical Engineer, Orbital Research Inc.,

[email protected]


♦♦♦

DoorViewer: An Apartment Reviewing Platform

Siying Wang, Computer Science; and Xiaocheng Qian, Computer Science and Economics

Door Viewer is a reviewing platform for apartments, as there is a need to make the rental market more

transparent to protect the consumers. The goal of this project is to let potential tenants gain access to the current or

former tenants’ genuine reviews on the apartment, avoiding any surprise after signing the lease and yet cannot break

the liability without paying the buyout fee. Users will be able to use this web application to review ratings as well as

submit evaluations. The user would be able to view a list of the apartment complexes nearby, with automatic sorting

from the highest overall rating to the lowest. The order of the list can also be customized; it can be sorted by average

reported price per sq, size, noise level, pet-friendly, etc. There would also be a map view using the Google Maps

API if time permits. A detailed review will be available when clicking on an estate from the list view. The user can

check out individual reviews about the property from the amenities to package receiving services to security deposit

refund after move-out, along with the price specified in the lease initially signed and other price increases when

renewed. If a user wishes to submit a review on a specific complex, a questionnaire will pop up and prompt the user

to follow the guide and complete all the detail ratings. If there is no current entry in the database about this property,

a new entity will be generated. In order to ensure the quality of the review, there will be verification process that

user would need to upload the first page of the lease with all sensitive personal information wiped out.



Role of Olfaction and Vision in Predator Detection by Green Frog Tadpoles (Rana clamitans)

Joseph Redinger, Department of Biology; Dr. Michael Benard, Department of Biology

Predator detection is important for the survival of prey species as the appropriate response is required to

accurately determine risk from predation. Proper interpretation of predator cues is vital to determining correct

antipredator behavior and is necessary for effective investment into predator defenses. The behavioral responses to

predator cues include spatial avoidance and decreased foraging. In aquatic environments, chemical cues and visual

cues are two important sensory stimuli for predator detection. Frog tadpoles use both chemical and visual cues to

detect predators, but the extent to which visual cues alter tadpole behavior is unclear. Previous behavioral research

has largely ignored visual cues, and so the prior analysis of tadpole responses to nonlethal predator signals could be

inaccurate. We investigated this problem by observing the behavioral changes of green frog tadpoles (Rana

clamitans) exposed to combinations of visual and chemical cues from predatory dragonfly larvae (Aeshna spp). We

predicted that tadpoles receiving predator cues would reduce feeding and position themselves further from the cue

origin. Although tadpoles can use visual cues, we predicted that tadpoles will rely more heavily on olfaction and

therefore would alter their behavior to a greater extent in the presence of a predator chemical cue.

Project Mentor: Dr. Michael Benard, Department of Biology

♦♦♦

Chemical Remediation of Organic Contaminants in Wastewater

Helen Sanderson, Department of Civil Engineering; Kuan Huang, Department of Civil Engineering; Joe Huang,

Department of Civil Engineering; Dr. Judy Zhang, Department of Civil Engineering

Human consumption inadvertently introduces a variety of pollutants into wastewater. Many of these,

including pharmaceuticals and fertilizers, are organic chemicals, and are not addressed by current wastewater

treatment techniques before being released into the environment, where they accumulate in sediments and harm

wildlife through toxicity, spread of antibiotic resistance, hormone imbalance, and other effects. Some research has

been done previously regarding chemical degradation of organic pollutants in waterways, and this research aimed to

further the investigation with the production and testing of iron and manganese oxide materials that could be used to

oxidize pollutants or catalyze oxidation reactions. Testing of different concentrations of standard iron materials with

a fertilizer as a representative pollutant was done in an anoxic glovebox, which simulated the oxygen free conditions

of river sediments where the reactions would take place during pollution remediation in the field. Then, a published

procedure was used to synthesize manganese nanorods doped with iron in different ratios through calcination of a

sol gel. Initial activity testing of the nanorods as an oxidizing agent shows that iron inhibits the reaction, but further

testing has yet to be done to confirm these results and determine the effect of iron in the nanorods when they act as a

catalyst in a similar reaction that uses oxone as the oxidant.

Project Mentor: Dr. Judy Zhang, Department of Civil Engineering


A Method of Recording and Distributing Rehearsal Audio with Conductor Feedback

Elizabeth Schafer, Department of Electrical Engineering; Lawrence Wright, Department of Electrical

Engineering; Jeremy Zalles, Department of Electrical Engineering

In orchestral settings, listening for mistakes and paying attention to how instruments blend is important for

effective practice. Since instruments are grouped in different locations, musicians hear a different perspective than

the conductor. Our project, the Etude: Smart Rehearsal System, proposes a solution for conductors to record

rehearsal audio, and to distribute that perspective to orchestra members. Etude allows musicians to effectively

practice with conductor feedback by integrating technology into the ensemble rehearsal process. Instead of solely

utilizing rehearsal time for verbal communication, Etude allows conductors to leave written comments concerning

the rehearsal. The recorded audio and conductor comments can conveniently be sent to selected ensemble members

via email through taps on a touch-screen, ensuring that feedback is accessible beyond the immediate rehearsal.

Etude uses a Raspberry Pi connected to a touchscreen, and two microphones for recording. The user interface is

coded in Python, and distributes audio by accessing the Gmail API. In order to test the Etude and ensure the

microphones stay in sync, we recorded a consistent beeping tone on both microphones and then plotted the audio

signals on MATLAB. Additionally, since the Etude needed to stay in sync for long periods of time, we ran an

additional test where we had the Etude sound a tone at the start of recording then a tone after a long period of time.

Since this product is designed to aid the rehearsal process, it will be an ideal tool for orchestras at the educational

level, and will help conductors communicate methods to help students improve. The Etude: Smart Rehearsal System

allows conductors to easily distribute recordings and meaningful feedback to orchestra members.

Project Mentor: Dr. David Kazdan, Department of Electrical Engineering

♦♦♦

Swim Prediction System: Smart New Swim Meet Predictions using Available Data

Michael Schmidt, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; Soumya Ray, Department of

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Competitive swimming is a smaller than such sports as football, basketball, and soccer, and as such there

are fewer resources for people interested in the sport. The goal of Swim Prediction System (SPS) is to offer a

convenient solution to predicting the outcome of a meet between two teams. SPS intelligently uses data available

from an online database of swim teams, swimmers, events, and times to create a meet prediction useful to its user.

The meet prediction automatically adjusts the times available to account for randomness that is typically present in

swimming competitions. SPS is a Java application that relies on native Java packages for User Interface elements

and implements publicly available API features to aid in data obtainment and parsing. Data parsing is a crucial.

Swim Prediction System is a standalone application that simply requires a reliable internet connection and a Java-

compatible device. The expected primary user for this application is anyone on a college level swim team curious

about the outcome of a potential future meet, but users may be anyone interested in swimming that just want to

estimate the outcome of a hypothetical swim meet. A Swim Prediction System user simply inputs two college level

swim team names, selects a swim meet format, and runs an algorithm that returns a score breakdown of the

simulated swim meet.



Mixed-methods secondary analysis of a social media-based weight loss intervention study.

Ellen Sears, Department of Nutrition; Dr. David Cavallo, Department of Nutrition

A 12-week weight loss intervention was delivered in a closed Facebook group to 39 low-income,

overweight adults in the Cleveland area. A mixed methods secondary analysis was conducted using data from the

intervention. For the qualitative component, 181 posts were randomly selected from the Facebook group and

qualitatively coded for type of functional social support, including companionship, esteem, informational, and

encouragement social support; shared experiences; and social competition. Coded data were analyzed descriptively

and to identify themes in the participant’s posts. For the quantitative component, a linear regression was performed

to examine the association between participant engagement level and perceived social support. Additionally,

dependent sample t-tests were used to analyze the change in weight measured objectively(kg), Sallis perceived

social support scale (1-5), HEI overall score (out of 100), and HEI sub scores of whole fruits (out of 5), total

vegetables (out of 5), whole grains (out of 10), refined grains (out of 10), sodium (out of 10), added sugars (out of

10), and saturated fats (out of 10) measured by the NCI ASA24 online dietary recall system.

Project Mentor: Dr. David Cavallo, Department of Nutrition

♦♦♦

Assessing Personality Type from Gesture

Adrienne Simmons, Department of Cognitive Science; Angelina Lopez, Fairview High School; Fey Parrill,

Department of Cognitive Science

Everyone gestures. From small movements to sweeping motions paired with speech, gesture is a natural

part of communication. It serves to convey meaning, add emphasis, and show information. Gesture varies from

person to person and differences have even been observed between gestures of extraverts and those of introverts.

This research questioned if observers can detect the personality type of a speaker based on their gestures. By having

participants watch videos of speakers and rate the extraversion of the speaker, the average prediction was compared

to the speakers’ personality assessment answer. Experiments are underway to investigate the accuracy of prediction

and to determine if humans can judge the personality types of their peers.

Project Mentor: Professor Fey Parrill, Department of Cognitive Science


Witnessing Diplomacy Through an Internship at the U.S. Embassy in Bern, Switzerland

Ann Marie Smetona, Department of Political Science, Department of Modern Languages and Literatures

As an intern in U.S. Embassy Bern, Switzerland’s consular section, I wrote reports analyzing visa

application trends that were disseminated throughout the U.S. Department of State and a blog post with

recommendations for Americans traveling to Switzerland, which was posted on Embassy Bern’s website. The

consular section processes visas and passports and provides general services for American citizens. Since it is a

connecting point for all of the embassy’s branches, I coordinated with other departments to design a social media

outreach strategy. At Embassy Bern, it was clear that the U.S. Ambassador’s key focus was on increasing Swiss

investment in and economic ties with the U.S., and much of my work entailed raising awareness of business

opportunities for Swiss companies in the U.S. through social media posts and presentations. The economic

relationship between Switzerland and the U.S. is extremely important for both countries and responsible for a large

quantity of jobs and investment. On an academic level, the ties between Switzerland and the U.S. are also

significant with the U.S. being the most important partner for Swiss scientists and serving as a popular destination

for Swiss students and researchers. Diplomatically, Switzerland plays a major role in U.S. foreign policy, serving as

the U.S.’s protecting power in Iran. Throughout the internship, I learned about the many unique characteristics of

Switzerland and how much international political and financial significance it has despite its small size. For

example, Geneva is home to the European headquarters of the United Nations and a host of other international

organizations. By working next to Foreign Service officers, I saw what life as a diplomat is like, realizing that it is

both rewarding and challenging.

Project Mentor: Professor Kelly McMann, Department of Political Science

♦♦♦

The Extraction, Isolation, and Identification of Δ9-THC from Cannabis

Adam Steel, Department of Chemistry

As efforts to legalize medical and recreational marijuana use spread across the country, research into the

cannabis plant and its chemical constituents is spreading as well. Multiple institutes and the United Nations have

spent considerable time and money looking into how to isolate and identify the various components of cannabis. The

primary compound being researched is Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), the primary psychoactive chemical in

cannabis. Δ9-THC is extracted from the plant via two methods, supercritical fluid extraction and focused ultrasound

extraction, each method has advantages and disadvantages. The Δ9-THC is then analyzed using a combination of

gas and liquid chromatography and mass spectroscopy to confirm its identity.

Project Mentor: Rekha Srinivasan, Department of Chemistry


The Impact of Active-Learning Videos on Student Understanding in Organic Chemistry

Joyce Su – Department of Biochemistry; Dr. Rekha Srinivasan – Department of Chemistry

A challenge that many students face when learning organic chemistry involves balancing concept learning

and concept application in problem-solving. Too often, students lean towards rote memorization and binge learning

to learn organic chemistry without understanding the concepts behind them. This leads to lower retention of

information and limited ability of the students to efficiently progress further in their organic chemistry education. In

this project, we offer supplemental video resources as a tool for students to learn and apply organic chemistry one

concept at a time. The videos differ from simple concept-review in that they integrate active learning exercises.

Video length generally ranges from three to ten minutes and follow a basic template of concept introduction,

connection to previously learned topics, followed by a concept check where students are asked to pause the video

and solve the displayed problem based off of previous and newly acquired knowledge. The videos continue the

pattern of concept coverage followed by application exercises, allowing students to interact with and use the

concepts instead of passively absorbing material. After each problem, a short explanation is given where concept

utilization is emphasized. The goal is to increase student knowledge retention and learning by supplying additional

online resources that allow the student to actively engage in the material. Student participation in the study was

selected on a voluntary basis from the Organic Chemistry II course. Participation involved watching a set number of

videos per week as per course schedule, followed by an online survey. Short assignments addressed students’

conceptual and practical understanding from the videos. Weekly questionnaires were sent out to moniter progress

and the effects of video utilization during the semester-long course, along with inquiry into the video’s role in

student learning.

Project Mentor: Dr. Rekha Srinivasan, Department of Chemistry


The Impact of Prenatal Substance Abuse on Infant Mortality

Margo Swann, Department of Psychological Sciences.

Infant mortality is a current and widespread societal problem today. The national rate of infant deaths

before their first birthdays was approximately 5.9 deaths for every 1,000 live births, while the rate in Cuyahoga

County was almost double that (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2018, Ohio Department of Health, n.d.).

While infant mortality remains a problem, the rates have been decreasing over the past several years, and initiatives

are being put into place in order to help solve the problem. However, a large part of what causes infant mortality is

substance abuse during pregnancy. This substance abuse can lead to miscarriage, preterm birth, and birth defects,

among other maladies on the developing fetus, all of which can result in infant mortality. Prenatal substance abuse is

common, and identifying the factors that are associated with women’s drug use is crucial. This review will discuss

psychological factors pertaining to prenatal substance abuse, including mental illness, dependency, and the woman’s

social environment. All of these factors are somewhat unavoidable, and treatment options must be put into place to

provide women with substantial care, in order to decrease the risks and consequences of prenatal substance abuse.

Collective evidence demonstrates that pregnant women refuse to seek out mental health services due to the stigma of

mental health. Unfortunately, a number of women are already extremely dependent on substances and continue to

use them during pregnancy, due to environmental and genetic factors, and due to past behavior. Social determinants

including family, friends, finances, and household environment all contribute to a woman’s substance use during

pregnancy. Healthcare bias against these women have harmful effects, as providers will often refuse to treat women

with substance abuse problems. Medical sources indicate that professionals are unaware of the severity of using

during pregnancy, as well. Questions have been raised in the literature as to whether these women should be

prosecuted and incarcerated, as many have been in the past for charges of involuntary manslaughter, child abuse,

and for the distribution of illegal substances to a minor. It is important to understand reasons for why a woman uses,

as infant mortality is still a very large cause of death among children.

Project Mentor: Anastasia Dimitropoulos, Department of Psychological Sciences

References:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2018). Infant Mortality.

Ohio Department of Health (n.d.) Number of Infant Deaths and Infant Mortality Rates, by County, Ohio 2006-2010.

Retrieved from: https://www.odh.ohio.gov/-/media/ODH/ASSETS/Files/cfhs/child-and-family-health-services/infant-

mortality-task-force/1Number-of-Infant-Deaths-and-Infant-Mortality-Rates-by-County-Ohio-20062010.pdf?la=en

♦♦♦

Radiomic Characterization of Pathologic Tumor Regression and Disease Metastasis via Colorectal

Cancer MRIs

Nitya Talasila, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Jacob Antunes, Department of Biomedical Engineering

Rectal cancer has a 56% mortality rate, to minimize likelihood of which patients undergo chemoradiation.

This research focuses on medical imaging informatics to aid in evaluating response to chemoradiation via routine

MR imaging. To accomplish this, sub-visual advanced image features called radiomics are extracted and the most

relevant features are identified. These are used to train a machine learning algorithm to predict pathologic tumor

regression (considered the “ground truth” outcome). Feature and model performance was evaluated via classifier

receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) analysis. The most relevant features associated with tumor regression were

primarily gradient and… texture responses within the rectal wall on post-chemoradiation MRIs. Our model achieved

78% accuracy in assessing pathologic tumor regression in a cohort of 27 cases, and resulted in a 78% in hold-out

testing on nodal, metastatic, and complete response patients. We hope to extend our findings to utilize additional

disease markers and a larger cohort to validate our findings.

Project Mentor: Satish Viswanath, Biomedical Engineering

https://www.odh.ohio.gov/-/media/ODH/ASSETS/Files/cfhs/child-and-family-health-services/infant-mortality-task-force/1Number-of-Infant-Deaths-and-Infant-Mortality-Rates-by-County-Ohio-20062010.pdf?la=en

https://www.odh.ohio.gov/-/media/ODH/ASSETS/Files/cfhs/child-and-family-health-services/infant-mortality-task-force/1Number-of-Infant-Deaths-and-Infant-Mortality-Rates-by-County-Ohio-20062010.pdf?la=en


Gene therapy of Alzheimer’s disease by rAAV or plasmid vectors expressing PrP-N1

Wanyun Tao, Department of Biochemistry

N1 peptide is the N-terminal product of cellular prion protein (PrPC) through α-cleavage. N1 has

neuroprotective properties and prevents cytotoxicity induced by amyloid- (A ) oligomers. Since the

accumulation of toxic A oligomers is a main cause of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the N1 peptide has great potential

in AD treatment and prevention. Our lab aims to develop a N1-based gene therapy against AD. My project focuses

on developing effective delivery and expression of N1 using recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) or plasmid

vector encoding N1. We constructed N1-encoding plasmid and rAAV vectors that were designed to secret N1. I

transfected/transduced the N1-encoding plasmid or rAAV viral preparation into C2C12 murine myoblast cell line

and we injected these vectors intramuscularly into C57BL6 mice in vivo. Then I examined the cell culture medium

or peripheral blood from the injected mice for secreted N1 with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and

Western blot. To avoid complications from endogenous PrP in wild type C2C12 cells, I compared N1 secretion

from wild type C2C12 cells and PrP-knockout C2C12 cells. No significant N1 was detected in

transfected/transduced C2C12 culture medium or in blood from injected mice with either N1 plasmid or N1 rAAV.

These results suggest that the N1 peptide may not be able to be expressed from a N1-encoding vector. We have

designed a revised N1 plasmid construct. This new vector will express a safe PrP fragment that can generate N1 via

α-cleavage, which will be tested similarly in C2C12 cells and in mice. After the new vector is confirmed to express

and secrete N1, it will be intramuscularly injected into AD mouse models to test its effectiveness in vivo.

Project Mentor: Dr. Qingzhong Kong, Department of Pathology

♦♦♦

Social Interactions in Rio Sao Francisco Piranhas at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

Josie E. Thal, Department of Biology; Jason D. Wark, Brookfield Zoo; Nick J. Zarlinga, Cleveland Metroparks

Zoo; Kristen E. Lukas, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo; Ronald G. Oldfield, Department of Biology

The Rio Sao Francisco piranha (Pygocentrus piraya) is the largest species of piranha. It is rare in captivity,

and its social behavior has never been studied. My preliminary observations of P. piraya at Cleveland Metroparks

Zoo revealed frequent aggressive interactions. Aggressive behavior may negatively affect the welfare of low-

ranking individuals and may be associated with the death of some individuals. In the current study, I tested the

hypothesis that the individuals at the Zoo are organized into a dominance hierarchy. I analyzed 24 video recordings

made when no food was present. Continuous recording and scan sampling methods were used to quantify

aggressive interactions between individuals. In addition, each individual’s behavior was recorded every 60 seconds

to determine time budgets. Dyadic relationships indicated that individuals were organized in a linear dominance

hierarchy. In general, higher-ranked individuals performed greater numbers of aggressive bouts and fewer numbers

of escapes than lower-ranked individuals. Similarly, time budget data indicated that higher-ranked individuals spent

more time behaving aggressively and less time escaping than lower-ranked individuals. The high rates of aggression

observed may be the result of the limited amount of available space, as predicted by resource defense theory. This

study provides the first known report of the social interactions of P. piraya. In addition, it takes an important step in

addressing the welfare of aquarium fishes, an underrepresented area of research in zoos and aquariums. My data

suggest that the welfare of Rio Sao Francisco piranhas, and possibly other species of piranhas, kept in aquariums

might be improved by using larger enclosures.

Project Mentor: Dr. Ronald G. Oldfield, Department of Biology


Trauma and Related Experiences in LGBTQ, Cisgender, and Heterosexual Individuals

Margarid Turnamian, Department of Psychological Sciences; and Dr. Amy Przeworski, Department of

Psychological Sciences

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals are more likely to be victims of

violent crimes than cisgender heterosexual individuals. Additionally, they have higher rates of mental health

symptomology than cisgender heterosexual individuals. Previous studies have demonstrated that LGBTQ persons

who suffered some type of injustice were more likely to suffer from mental illness. This study examined LGBTQ

and cisgender heterosexual individuals’ exposure to traumatic events and their ability to cope. We hypothesize that

LGBTQ individuals will be exposed to more trauma. Additionally, we hypothesize that coping ability will be

impacted by personal and life experiences, such as discrimination, support, and others. A worldwide sample of

LGBTQ adults were recruited for the study. Participants completed an online self-report questionnaire that assessed

gender identity, sexual orientation, experiences of victimization, coping methods, perceived social support, and

emotions, as well as anxiety, depression, and PTSD. Results and the conclusions that may be drawn from the data

presented will be discussed.

Project Mentor: Dr. Amy Przeworski, Department of Psychological Sciences

Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Amy Przeworski, Department of Psychological Sciences

♦♦♦

Extradomain-B Fibronectin as a Biomarker for Invasive Prostate Cancer

Helen C. Wang, Department of Biology; Dr. Amita M. Vaidya, Department of Biomedical Engineering

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in men. Current diagnostic markers,

such as prostate-specific antigen (PSA), are unable to differentiate between indolent and aggressive prostate cancers,

resulting in unnecessary, intensive treatments that lead to long-term side-effects. Because of this, characterization of

biomarkers associated with the invasiveness of this heterogeneous disease is imperative.

This project aims to demonstrate that increased invasion and aggressiveness in prostate cancer cells is

associated with overexpression of Extradomain-B Fibronectin (EDB-FN), an oncofetal isoform of the extracellular

matrix protein fibronectin. EDB-FN aids in the process of cell migration and adhesion during fetal development but

shows negligible expression in normal tissues. Abundant EDB-FN expression has been correlated with biological

processes related to cancer and metastasis such as angiogenesis, tumorigenesis, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal

transition (EMT). Overexpression of EDB-FN has also been correlated with lower patient survival rates in colorectal

and ovarian cancers.

In this study, we evaluated the EDB-FN expression in two PCa cell lines, DU-145 and DU-Pro, in 2D and

3D cultures. Compared to DU-145, DU-Pro cells demonstrate increased proliferation, invasion, and migration.

Results from 3D immunofluorescence microscopy using an EDB-FN-specific peptide, ZD2-Cy5.5, qualitatively

show an increase in EDB-FN expression in DU-Pro cells. In addition, polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) results

show that DU-Pro cells have a statistically significant overexpression of EDB-FN mRNA when compared to DU-

145. This study suggests that EDB-FN is possibly associated with increased aggressiveness and is a promising

candidate as a biomarker for high-risk prostate cancer.

Project Mentor: Dr. Zheng-Rong Lu, Department of Biomedical Engineering

Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Susan Burden-Gulley, Department of Biology


High mobility 2D electron gas at InSe-GaSe heterostructures

Mingyuan Wang, B.S Physics and Mathematics, Department of Physics; Arvind Shankar, Department of Physics;

Kasun Premasiri, Department of Physics

GaAs and AlGaAs are two semiconductor materials that have been well studied. People can create high

mobility 2D electron gas in GaAs and AlGaAs using Molecular Beam Epitaxy. Like GaAs and AlGaAs, both InSe

and GaSe have similar crystal structures, which will reduces lattice mismatch at the interface. In this project, we aim

to create a high mobility 2D electron gas at the interface of InSe-GaSe heterostructures. We use silicon oxide as

substrates to fabricate multilayer InSe-GaSe heterostructures. The field effect mobility and intrinsic Hall mobility

were measured at various temperatures by using bottom gating and Hall measurement in the four-probe

configuration. By studying InSe-GaSe heterostructures, we find that conduction is mainly through InSe. Placing

GaSe on top of InSe is expected to improve electron mobility in GaSe by suppressing surface scattering, and we

found that gating of GaSe playing an essential role in understanding the behavior of this type of heterostructure.

Project Mentor: Dr. Xuan Gao, Department of Physics

♦♦♦

Characterizing Induced Genomic Alterations and Inheritance Patterns in Flax

Nicole Wilkinson, Department of Biology; Dr. Christopher Cullis, Department of Biology

Most strains of flax have a stable genome; however there are some, such as Stormont cirus (Pl), that when

grown under stressful conditions are found to undergo changes to their genome in subsequent generations. When Pl

is grown under inducible conditions (exhausted soil, nutrient stress), specific regions of the DNA are altered in

reproducible ways. Bethune flax, whose genome has been fully sequenced remains stable even when grown under

these conditions so it is of interest to examine the inheritance of these variable regions in the Pl genome. We predict

that these alterations are happening during the period in which they are growing under stressful conditions, but they

could also potentially be occurring during meiosis in the parental generation. In this study, we are investigating the

original Stormont cirus line grown under different conditions to look at the reproducibility of the genomic changes

and whether they are coordinated or have a programmed order of appearance.

Project Mentor: Dr. Christopher Cullis, Department of Biology


Extra and Intra-Ovarian Factors in the Development of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and Associated Risks

Marilena Wolf, Department of Cognitive Science

Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine condition characterized by any two of the

following symptoms: hyperandrogenism, menstrual irregularity, and/or polycystic ovaries. Most affected women

with PCOS also present with infertility. This is thought to be a result of atypical secretion of gonadotropic hormones

from the brain including Luteinizing Hormone (LH) and Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH). LH, the hormone

that stimulates ovulation, increases in amplitude and frequency. In contrast, FSH, which is responsible for the

development of the dominant follicle, decreases. The altered ratio of LH and FSH are thought to lead to

underdeveloped eggs that fail to ovulate, thus it is the primary source of infertility in women with PCOS. In

addition, women with PCOS often express additional extra-ovarian factors that aggravate the condition, such as

obesity and insulin resistance. Women with PCOS have also been shown to have altered intra-ovarian environments

that may further contribute to the development of excess large, anovulatory follicles, high levels of circulating free

testosterone, or altered hormone concentrations. Collectively, these factors appear to complicate conception and

pregnancy. This can manifest in diminished oocyte quality, predisposition towards miscarriage, or the development

of conditions such as preeclampsia or gestational diabetes. Some of these risks have been attributed to PCOS alone,

while others are co-dependent on obesity or insulin-resistance. Because PCOS is a multifactorial condition, attempts

to treat it should acknowledge the variety of potential influencing factors. This literature review looks to analyze the

sources of infertility in women with PCOS and the potential risks during pregnancy.

Project Mentor: Dr. Rebecca Benard, Department of Biology

♦♦♦

Flow Separation Control of an Overexpanded Rocket Nozzle Using Microjets

John Wylie, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, CWRU; Dr. Rajan Kumar, Department of

Mechanical Engineering, Florida State University; Dr. Jonas Gustavsson, Dept. of ME, FSU; Nikhil Khobragade,

Dept. of ME, FSU

Recent advances in commercial space transportation emphasize rocket engine reusability and its operation

over a wide range of operating conditions. Rocket nozzles are designed for optimal performance at a certain design

point in the rocket trajectory, which happens to be typically in the vacuous, upper atmosphere. Therefore, these

rocket nozzles underperform at sea level conditions where they operate at highly overexpanded pressure conditions.

Operation at highly overexpanded pressures leads to flow separation and flow entrainment from the ambient

conditions that lower nozzle efficiency and causes shock boundary layer interactions. The flow separation inside the

nozzle is inherently asymmetric and associated with high-frequency fluctuations, resulting in side loading and

nozzle fatigue. In the previous studies, active flow control using high-momentum microjets has been shown to

reduce flow separation on both internal and external flow surfaces. The main objectives of the present study are to

characterize the performance of a scaled convergent-divergent supersonic rocket nozzle by identifying separation

locations along the diverging section at various nozzle operating conditions and introduce microjet based flow

control. Measurements include pressure distributions inside the nozzle with and without microjet control over a

range of nozzle pressure ratios. Results show that the flow separation location is a function of the nozzle pressure

ratio for the baseline configuration. An increase in nozzle pressure ratio results in a downstream movement of

separation location. Microjet control appears to be very effective in delaying the flow separation and in turn

improving the rocket nozzle performance.

Project Mentor: Dr. Jonas Gustavsson, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Florida State University


Mosquito Inspired Insertion Strategy to Improve Microelectrode Implantation

Marina Yu, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Rachel Welscott, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Seth

Meade, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Carmen Toth, Department of Biomedical Engineering; Andrew

Shoffstall, Department of Biomedical Engineering

Mosquitos are very efficient at successfully biting humans and animals. To successfully bite, they use

numerous strategies to insert their thin needle-like mouth, called a proboscis, through layers of skin. The mosquito

was an inspiration for new insertion techniques for microelectrodes in the brain. Improving insertion techniques can

create opportunities for thinner, more flexible microelectrodes. This is important because smaller electrodes could

mean less trauma and inflammation in the brain. The mosquito’s strategies were used as inspiration because of the

mosquito’s ability to insert long, flexible needles successfully. Specifically, when the proboscis penetrates the skin,

the sheath around it, called the labrum, remains as a guide at the surface. The labrum, used as a guide, effectively

increases the critical buckling load of the proboscis. This allows the proboscis to be successfully inserted without

bending or breaking. The Capadona lab had previously developed a mosquito labrum-inspired guide as an insertion

strategy for microelectrodes that significantly improved insertion success. Currently, the lab is exploring an

oscillation inspired strategy. Mosquitos oscillate the proboscis at different frequencies as it penetrates through layers

of skin. A piezo motor was created and a vibrating disk motor was used to apply a desired frequency of oscillation to

the microelectrode as it was inserted. Testing was completed with dummy electrodes and agar gels to mimic in vivo

use. Small oscillations with the piezo motor did not produce a significant difference in the amount of successful

implantations but larger oscillations with the vibrating disc motor did produce a significant difference. Additional

studies are ongoing to explore additional variables within the parameter space: insertion guide dimensions,

frequency, and probe dimensions. As the field is driving toward smaller and smaller electrodes, these strategies

could be used to successfully implant smaller, more flexible electrodes.

Project Mentor: Dr. Andrew Shoffstall, Department of Biomedical Engineering

Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Jeffrey Capadona, Department of Biomedical Engineering

♦♦♦

Gene therapy for Usher syndrome type 1C in mice model

Zihao Yu, Department of Biology

Usher syndrome type 1C (USH1C) is a genetic disease causing hearing loss and blind in humans. For mice,

usher syndrome can result in hearing and balance dysfunction. Our research hope to come up with a reliable genetic

treatment of the disease by studying mouse model. USH1C mice are not able to produce harmonin because of a

mutation in USH1C gene, and cannot produce a protein called harmonin, so we hope to treat the disease by using

microinjection technique to introduce AAV2 virus containing harmonin cDNA to mice ear. We also hope to

determine whether round window or semicircular canal is a more efficient region for microinjection. The effect of

surgery on auditory ability recovery is going to be tested by auditory brain response (ABR) test and balance

recovery is going to be tested by swimming test.

Project Mentor: Dr. Qing Yin Zheng, Department of Otolaryngology

Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Emmitt Jolly, Department of Biology


The Use of CY-PSMA-1 as a Probe to Target PSMA for Prostate Cancer Radiotherapy

Sophia Zeng, Department of Biochemistry; Dong Luo, Department of Radiology; Xinning Wang, Departments of

Biomedical Engineering and Radiology; Gopalakrishnan Ramamurthy, Department of Radiology; Clemens Burda,

Department of Chemistry; and James P. Basilion, Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Radiology

Much interest has developed in gold nanoparticles as a promising anti-cancer therapy. Gold nanoparticles

have been studied because of their biocompatibility, facile platform for modification, and strong interaction with

incident radiation that generates secondary radiation and electrons, which damages the cells around the gold

nanoparticles. However, gold nanoparticles by themselves would not be an effective treatment for cancer. While

high energy radiation kills cancer cells, it also damages many healthy cells. Therefore, it is important to have a

strategy that will allow specific targeting to cancer cells to minimize side effects. In previous research, prostate

specific membrane antigen (PSMA) has been commonly used to target gold nanoparticles to tumors. In this paper,

cysteine and tyrosine are added on to the C-terminus of PSMA-1 (CY-PSMA-1), which is then conjugated to gold

nanoclusters (AuNC) and glutathione to construct a probe with a higher affinity to prostate tumor cells. These

conjugates are shown to have a high clearance renal clearance rate. The PSMA-targeted AuNCs are observed to

gather around PSMA expressing tumor cells, making them more effective radiosensitizers and an attractive potential

treatment for cancer.

Project Mentor: Dr. Clemens Burda, Department of Chemistry

♦♦♦

Use of Electrochemical Techniques to Explore Mechanisms Causing Tissue Damage during Neural

Stimulation

Alfred (Jinyi) Zhang, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Electrical stimulation of neurons is a clinical technique for improving quality of life for people with a

variety of neurological issues, like providing pain relief. However, neuron stimulation, in some cases, has been

reported to cause tissue damage. One possible pathway of tissue damage is correlated to peroxynitrate generation

from a two-step reaction sequence: nitric oxide reacting with superoxide that is first generated electrochemically

during stimulation by oxygen reduction. A better understanding is needed of the possible factors that might

minimize oxygen reduction. In this work, these factors will be explored using cyclic voltammetry and pulsing

methods. Cyclic voltammetry is being used to measure oxygen reduction at common stimulating electrode materials

such as platinum. Constant rate voltage sweeps are applied with dissolved gas mixtures that have oxygen

concentration resembling that of the extracellular fluids, and the level of oxygen reduction can be determined from

the voltammogram shape. The level of oxygen reduction will be compared for metal and diamond electrodes;

diamond is an attractive alternative for neuron stimulation because of its resistance to oxygen reduction. Kinetic data

for oxygen reduction will be compared between these materials and data for different diamond surface chemistries

summarized. In the future, to make simulation more realistic, measurements will be extended from the linear voltage

sweeps to a pulsing technique, of which the voltage profile compared to linear sweep, would vary more rapidly with

time and thus better simulate the clinical stimulation conditions.

Project Mentor: Professor Heidi Martin, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering


Pictures make statements more believable

Lifeng Zhang, Department of Psychology

When people evaluate claims presented with pictures or without pictures, they usually make a judgment

based on whether the claims feel true. Forty-two students participated in an experiment where they saw 152 general-

knowledge statements (half true and half false) one at a time. Half of the statements were accompanied by non-

probative pictures, that is, pictures relevant to the topic but providing no evidence as to whether the statement is true

or not (e.g., the statement "NAIROBI IS THE CAPITAL OF KENYA" shown with a picture of the flag of

Kenya). The other statements were shown with no pictures. We divided people into 2 groups: if group A got a

particular statement with a picture, then group B got that statement without a picture. Participants were asked to

judge whether each statement was true. Using a 2 tailed T-test, we found a statistically significant difference

between the mean number of times people judged statements with pictures true (44.10) and the mean number of

times statements without pictures were judged true (41.14). Non-probative information can make statements feel

more believable.

Project Mentor: Dr. Robert Greene, Department of Psychology

Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Robert Greene, Department of Psychology

♦♦♦

The Influence of Stigma and Body Insecurity on Self-esteem in Obese Children

Muzhen Zhang, Department of Psychological Science

Childhood obesity is the focus of many public health efforts in the United States because of the negative

impact it has on individuals, communities, and societies. After an upsurge in childhood obesity rate in the late

1970s, the obesity rate in American children presents a stable pattern. 17% of American children and young adults

aged 2–19 years were obese in 2007-2008 regardless of new health-related policies (as cited in Ogden, Carroll, Kit

& Flegal, 2014). Besides the tremendous cost of medical treatment and health maintenance, obesity leads to lower

self-esteem in children, which increases the potential for mental health illnesses, and decline in their engagement

with social activities. This comprehensive literature review investigates how stigma and body insecurity impede the

development of self-esteem in children with obesity based on the data collected from empirical studies, self-reported

surveys, and qualitative interviews. However, this correlation does not apply to all obese children. Collective

research has found that children with higher socioeconomic backgrounds and more social supports are less likely to

have lower self-esteem, regardless of obesity. Gender and age are also factors that could influence self-esteem in

obese children. For example, older obese children have lower self-esteem compared to younger obese children. The

research indicates an urgent need for social support, funding for childhood obesity programs, and strategies to

effectively establish higher self-esteem in obese children.

Project Mentor: Anastasia Dimitropoulos; Department of Psychological Science


Dietary Supplement Use Among Undergraduate Nutrition Majors

Eric Zhou, Department of Nutrition; Dana Goldberg, Department of Nutrition; Dr. Stephanie Harris, Department of

Nutrition

Dietary supplement (DS) use among adults has drastically increased over the past three decades in the

United States, with over of half of U.S. adults reporting using one or more DS, according to NHANES data.

Research on DS use in the college population has largely focused on athletes and medical students, but is lacking in

the pre-health undergraduate college population. In addition, there is limited research examining the influence of

education, training, and experiences of undergraduate pre-health students on their DS perceptions, attitudes,

practices, and use. This information is important, as it will allow for a better understanding of pre-health students’

use and perceived knowledge of DS, which has been shown to impact future patient recommendations. In a sample

of 27 undergraduate nutrition majors, an online survey was administered through REDCap to (i) determine what

types of DS students are taking and their motivations for use, (ii) identify where students are learning about DS and

where they most often obtain information on DS, and (iii) learn about their perceptions, attitudes, and practices

surrounding DS. A majority of the undergraduate students reported using DS (89%), with an average of two DS

used (2.37 + 1.5). Multivitamins/multiminerals (56%) and protein supplements (48%) were the most commonly

reported DS used, with the major motivation for use including to improve or maintain overall health (92%) and to

build muscle mass (64%), respectively. Students reported that they most frequently obtained information about DS

from nutrition courses (63%), which was also where they most often learned about DS (78%). Moving forward, this

data could be a cross-sectional first step in a longitudinal study that continues to examine the influence of education

on DS use, with the potential of allowing educators to rethink current academic curriculum on DS to better prepare

our future health care professionals.

Project Mentor: Dr. Stephanie Harris, Department of Nutrition


December 7, 2018 The Celebration of Student Writing and Research showcases undergraduate student writing

scholarship from across the university by encouraging students to present and display their research and

writing in formats other than conventional word-processed documents. Some students create video

projects; others produce poster presentations or read aloud portions of their writing; still others design

models or digital illustrations that present their writing projects in new media. The event receives

assistance from the following academic centers:

The Writing Resource Center (WRC) at Case Western Reserve University provides writing consultation

to students across the university in Bellflower Hall, in four other campus locations, and online. More

than 40 full-time Writing Program faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students staff the WRC.

Each year, WRC consultants hold more than 5,000 individual sessions with approximately 1,500

individual students ranging from first-year writers to graduate students and faculty. The WRC also

conducts a campus-wide workshop series and sponsors other writing-focused events.

The Center for the Study of Writing was established in 2008 to facilitate research and scholarship on

writing at the University and in the world. It serves three distinct but interrelated roles at the University:

to support writing and research by resident and visiting students and scholars; to facilitate exciting new

courses and curricula on writing; and to provide an array of practical writing and publishing support

services to the University and University Circle communities. For more information,

see http://www.case.edu/writing/csw.

Since 2009, the Center for the Study of Writing has been sustained by generous gifts from Marilyn

McCulloch (FSM ’50); from Edward S. Sadar, M.D. (ADL ’64, SOM ’68) and Melinda Melton Sadar

(FSM ’66); from Sharon Schnall (MBA ‘87) and Dr. R. Drew Sellers (EMBA ‘08); from Eric Winter,

M.D. (CWR ‘98, GRS ‘91, MD ‘98); from Jackson McHenry (ADL ‘52); Dixon Long, Ph.D. (Dean

Emeritus, Western Reserve College; Professor Emeritus, Political Science, CWRU); and from an

anonymous donor.

The Celebration of Student Writing and Research is additionally supported by the SAGES Program and

the Department of English.

http://www.case.edu/writing/csw


Courses and Organizations Presenting:

CWRU Writing Programs & The Writing Resource Center

Director of the Writing Program: Kim Emmons

Assistant Director: Martha Shaffer

Writing – defined broadly to include oral, visual, digital, and inscriptional modes of

communication – is essential to all academic and civic endeavors. Writing enables scholarly

exchange of ideas; it facilitates civic and professional participation; it inspires creativity and

innovation; it transforms students into leaders, activists, inventors, artists, teachers, and citizens

of the world. The CWRU Writing Program’s mission is to ensure that all students develop

sophisticated communicative strategies through understanding their own writing processes;

assessing the contexts and audiences for their ideas; and articulating their messages clearly,

passionately, and persuasively.

Student Group: Discussions

Group Adviser: Sheila Pedigo

Students: Saloni Lad

Discussions is the undergraduate research journal of CWRU. We publish two to three issues each

year and feature research in all disciplines in order to promote undergraduate exploration in the

sciences and humanities. For one of our recent issues, we received over twenty submissions

from various undergraduate institutions across the nation. If you are interested in assisting us in

the publication process or if you wish to submit an article to Discussions, please stop by our table

or visit our website at www.case.edu/publications.

Student Group: Writers Writing Words

Group Adviser: Barbara Burgess-Van Aken

Students: Hernan Rincon, Todd Cheng, and Jonathan Schaeffer.

We will be sharing short stories we have written as well as information about our writing club.


Course: FSCC 100: First Seminar: International Students' Wellness

Course Instructor: Mary Assad

Students: Nick Choi, Chi Doan, Cain Gao, Katie Jiang, Laura Li, Peter Luo, Harry

Nguyen, Kacey Nguyen, Hugh Oh, Thang Tran, Wanda Xu, Songyun Zhang,

Katherine Zhou

Universities across the U.S. are welcoming international students at increasing rates each year.

However, these students face struggles that may go unnoticed by administrators, faculty, staff,

and peers. Specifically, first-year international students deal with personal challenges that arise

within the six dimensions of wellness: emotional, social, physical, intellectual, occupational, and

spiritual. These dimensions overlap and affect one another. Therefore, a student struggling

emotionally may also see negative intellectual, social, and physical consequences. Although

wellness issues persist among all university students (both domestic and international),

international students’ wellness can be further complicated by cultural acclimation,

homesickness, displacement from support systems, and language barriers. Due to correlations

between a student’s state of wellness and his or her academic performance, the topic of

international students’ wellness warrants attention by individual students as well as the broader

university community.

Course: FSSO 185F: Reading: Past, Present, Future

Course Instructor: Barbara Burgess-Van Aken

Students: Thomas Arya, Jonay Boylan, Rounak Chawla, Sophia Damico, Ilyas

Darmesh, Sofia Edwards, Mia Formato, Zachary Houser, Eileen Huang, Zahin

Islam, Jacob Kauppi, Anna Lee, Michael Louard, Callie Morris, Tatiana Pavlides,

Vivian Zheng

As a college student, reading might seem like a commonplace ability. But since the development

of cuneiform in the third millennium BC, reading has been a special skill, one that has sometimes

conferred social status on those who possessed it and sometimes provoked suspicion or fear

among those who did not. In this seminar, we have explored how print technology has affected

the act of reading over time by considering two broad questions: 1) How have developments in

reproducing the written word changed the reading experience from ancient times through the

digital age? 2) What societal ramifications have these changes had on the act of reading?

Today’s presentation is a digital anthology of time travel stories that we have written to represent

our explorations in this class.


Course: FSSY 185R: Oh the Place You Will Go: Representations of Space in

Children’s Picture Books

Course Instructor: Cara Byrne

Students: Anisha Bhargava, Jessica Bumgarner, Ella Copich, Tanisha Dighe,

Anna Giubileo, Marissa Lahr, Dominic Ranallo, Nicholas Schoenig, Lamisa

Sharmin, Yejun Shin, Ambika Singh, Isaac Stumme, Millie Sun, David Valencia,

Chloe Van Dorn, Eduardo Williams-Medina, Jack Baker, Jad Mobydeen

Students in this SAGES course have studied how children’s picture books communicate

social norms and ethics through the depiction of imagined and real spaces. Students will

be present to discuss the picture book they chose to analyze as their final project. The

display features additional picture books from the course, as well as pages from the

students' own adapted children's picture books.

Course: USSO 286L: Exploring Nonprofit Organizations

Course Instructor: Barbara Clemenson

Nominees for Best Individual Research Prize: Sarah Hamilton, Yuliang (Bill)

Ding

Students in this class select different Cleveland area nonprofit organizations and spend the

semester studying them in depth, applying general knowledge about nonprofits to their chosen

organizations. As a result, students come to understand their nonprofits' structure and

governance, purpose and history, mission and effectiveness, and finances. They are therefore

able to make informed decisions about their organizations' sustainability and effectiveness in

meeting their missions.

Course: USSY 286X: The Future of News

Course Instructor: Bill Doll

Students: Izzy Bazyan, Hobart Chen, Ha Do, Jared Entwistle, Ibtesam Ghazy,

Lingfeng Hou, Tao Huang, Tianxin (Elena) Jiang, Ahmed Khan, Tim Krause

Brandon Lee, Andrew Maytin, Ryan Nelson, Anand Rao, Corriene Sept, Kaylee

Wang

This century has seen an explosion of new digital news sources, from Vice, to Vox, to Buzzfeed

to ProPublica and Infowars. Some are fun. Some are mean, and some are expanding the hard

work of strengthening democracy. Our exhibit explores how he media has changed and how it

has not.


Course: FSCC 110: Foundations of College Writing

Course Instructor: Susan Dominguez

Students:

Section 101: Jack Crouch, Bob Faller, Leah Fireman, Dante Grecco, Rachel

Hopey, Brinda Kapur, Prithik Karthikeyan, Justin Rehklau, Carter Theis,

Ellils Wright, Arland Lojo Zatania

Section 102: Tristan Acosta-Pecina, Brandon Callow, Josiah Cann, Wonyoung

Choi, Michael Derrimiggio, Yassine El Mouniri, Alejandro Jimenez-Cortez,

Maya Montemayor, Tristan Phemister, Henry Vorosmarti, Keri Wood, Tyler

Young

Students will present their research for a critical essay on "Big Food."

Course: USSO 176: Savor: The Ethics and Politics of Eating

Course Instructor: Narcisz Fejes

Students: Emily Bence, Ryan Briscoe, Robert Ciupinski, Thomas Hankey, Abigail

Haste, Sarah Hoffman, Sandy Huynh, Morgan Hyun, Tamara Jeffries, Jaya Jolly,

Claire Keanna, Thomas Koss, Alex Neyman, Karl Scherf, Matthew Thornton,

Aaron Umen, Hannah Xu

Students will be discussing their final projects/research papers on "food production's impact on

global quality of life" focusing on 1. the impact of climate change on grape and wine production

2. the sustainability of tuna farming 3. the economic well-being of corn farmers 3. cattle

production's impact on our health and the environment.


Course: FSSY 183: E-Lit: New Media Narrative

Course Instructor: Kristine Kelly

Students: Blake Aschenbrener, Ashwin Datta, John Dominicos, Samantha Dunbar,

Marc Franquesa-Guivernau, William Huang, Eytan Kaplan, Sarah Krueger,

Abbey Lawrence, Gabrielle McBroom, Sriram Satyavolu, Katherine Schade,

Macin Sheeder, Brianna Van Zanten, Savannah Walters

In this class, we read and write about electronic literature, including works of hypertext, digital

games, e-narratives about social issues, digital documentaries, and social media as social

narrative. The work we display at the CSWR shows examples of our class's unconventional

approaches to writing about these media-rich, often non-linear modes of storytelling. Our

presentation highlights the idea of "creative analysis," a term coined by Mark Sample, for writing

practices that incorporate processes of assemblage and design.

Course: FSNA 136: Saving the World from Poverty, Injustice, Disease, and

Environmental Exploitation

Instructor: Andrew Rollins

Students: Amy An, Ben Browngardt, Sebastien Cayo, Beatriz Feijo, Annie

Franklin, Ben George, Hope Hardman, David Hernandez, Hein Htet Aung,

Rachel Jung, Kelly Moton, Ryan Newton, Lewis Orr, Sanjana Pandit, Sarah

Pequeno, Alexandra Weinhofer

Half of the world's population lives in poverty. The causes of poverty and injustice are complex

and the ramifications are numerous and serious and include grave risk to human health and to the

environment. Through reading, analysis, writing, and discussion the class has investigated issues

surrounding poverty and disparities in health and opportunity. We have also explored how

innovation and engineering design can help address causes of poverty and disparity and meet

needs of people at risk. We have worked in teams throughout the semester to identify an unmet

need and to design, prototype, and test a solution to benefit an under-served or under-resourced

population (previous projects include electricity generation, water filtration, and safe disposal of

medical waste). Today we present these prototypes to you.


Course: FSSY 185U-100: On Being Human

Instructor: Bharat Ranganathan

Students: Alvin Cao, Jacob Chang, Eileen Petros, Jake Prusky, Wynne Zheng

This seminar explores religious and philosophical views about what it means to be human. We

will address questions such as: to what extent are we free? Does freedom conflict with traditional

authority, our own pasts, our irrational impulses, or our physical natures? What is the

relationship between reason and emotion? How well do we know our own motives? And to what

extent are we hidden to ourselves? To investigate these questions, we will read, discuss, and

write about a range of classical and contemporary religious and philosophical thinkers. Each

offers a different perspective about the nature of the human being, human excellence, and what it

means to live a life of integrity. They are also enduringly relevant to our lives, inside and outside

of the classroom. Together, the texts and thinkers constitute a conversation filled with sometimes

competing and sometimes complementary views about who we are, why we do the things we do,

and what sorts of lives we ought to lead.

Course: FSCC 110: Foundations of College Writing

Instructor: Martha Schaffer

Students:

Section 104: Nicole Baier, Harrison Chough, Peter Dernelle,

Michael Gabe, Josh Gao, Nadra Haji-Suleyman, JJ Henson, Alexandra

Jaccard, Rahul Mikkilineni, Justin Porter, Christian Querrey, Molly

Whelan, Joa Xie

Section 105: Nomar Arocho, Louis Charles, Angela Cho, Alex Glatz,

Kathryn Golden, Brittany Hoopingarner, Alyssa Hyland, Austin Keil, Kayla

Kirton, Brianna Smith, Bryanna Tran, Spencer Weigand, Max Winebrake,

Foundations of College Writing is a SAGES First Seminar that explores how we get things done

together through language and how writing affects who we are in the world. Students will

present on their individual research projects about a social issue that negatively impacts a

community that they care about, using writing and speaking to create meaningful change.


Course: FSNA 144: Is the Mind What the Brain Does?

Instructor: Lee Thompson

Students: Jett Adler, Derick Casiano, Evan Davies, Kathryn Devadoss, Tara

Dickinson, David Gueye Katie Hart, Anthony Jahng, Marie Kallay, Ammar Kazi,

Michelle King, Kristen Lay, Hannah Lee, David Li, Thomas Lipke, Josie Shiff,

Christiana Wang

After reading An Anthropologist on Mars by Oliver Sacks, students created a graphic visual

design project using Comic Life. The goal of the project is to have images work hand in hand

with textual information to effectively convey information to the reader. Sacks states that he “is

sometimes moved to wonder whether it may not be necessary to redefine the very concepts of

“health” and “disease”, to see these in terms of the ability of the organism to create a new

organization and order, one that fits its special, altered disposition and needs rather than in terms

of a rigidly defined “norm.” Each student’s project will focus on a chapter of Sacks’ book and

examine a specific individual’s condition and how it both limits and enables them to pursue a

meaningful life.

Post-Graduate Planning and Experiential Education, SOURCE

[email protected]

CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY

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CLEVELAND, OHIO [email protected] | CASE.EDU/SOURCE

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